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Chronicles of Chaos Issue 026
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CHRONICLES OF CHAOS e-Zine, November 17, 1997, Issue #26
http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html
Editor-in-Chief: Gino Filicetti <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>
Coordinator: Adrian Bromley <mailto:energizr@interlog.com>
Contributor: Alain M. Gaudrault <mailto:alain@mks.com>
Contributor: Brian Meloon <mailto:bmeloon@math.cornell.edu>
Contributor: Steve Hoeltzel <mailto:hoeltzel@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu>
Contributor: Adam Wasylyk <mailto:macabre@interlog.com>
Contributor: Drew Schinzel <mailto:drew@magpage.com>
Contributor: Andrew Lewandowski <mailto:kmvb73c@prodigy.com>
Contributor: Pedro Azevedo <mailto:ei94048@tom.fe.up.pt>
Contributor: Paul Schwarz <mailto:tom.s@mcmail.com>
Mailing List provided by: The University of Colorado at Boulder
NOTE: For more Chronicles of Chaos information, check out the
'Details' section at the end of this issue.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Issue #26 Contents, 11/17/97
----------------------------
* Loud Letters
* Deadly Dialogues
-- Angel Corpse: Hammer of Metal
-- Dark Funeral: The Dark Age Has Arrived
-- Skrew: Skrewin' The Dawg
-- Algaion: Questions From The Temple of Pain
-- Morbid Angel: A Morbid Update
-- Six Feet Under: 'Cause I'm a War Machine
-- Niden Div. 187: An Officer And A Gentleman
* Album Asylum
-- Algaion - _General Enmity_
-- Alien Faktor - _Arterial Spray... and Cattle Mutilations_
-- Anorexia Nervosa - _Exile_
-- Bloodthorn - _In the Shadow of Your Black Wings_
-- Cenotaph - _Epic Rites_
-- Centinex - _Reflections_
-- Dissection - _The Past Is Alive (Early Mischief)_
-- Dominus - _Vol.Beat_
-- Various - _Earache Unplugged 2_
-- Edge Of Sanity - _Cryptic_
-- Epoch of Unlight - _Black and Crimson Glory_
-- Forbidden Site - _Sturm und Drang_
-- Frederik Thordendal's Special Defects - _Sol Niger Within_
-- Hazard - _Lech_
-- Hexenhaus - _Dejavoodoo_
-- Horna - _Hiidentorni_
-- Hypocrisy - _The Final Chapter_
-- Insatanity - _Vengeance from Beyond the Grave_
-- Immortal Suffering - _Images of Horror_
-- Malignant Eternal - _Far Beneath the Sun_
-- Mayhem - _Wolf's Lair Abyss_
-- Misanthrope - _Visionnaire_
-- Misery Loves Co. - _Not Like Them_
-- Nattvindens Grat - _Chaos Without Theory_
-- Niden Div. 187 - _Impergium_
-- Obtained Enslavement - _Witchcraft_
-- Orphyx - _Fragmentation_
-- Overkill - _From The Underground And Below_
-- Pathos - _Hoverface_
-- Rotting Christ - _A Dead Poem_
-- Sacramentum - _The Coming Of Chaos_
-- Sadist - _Crust_
-- Scar Tissue - _TMOTD_
-- Shub-Niggurath - _The Kinglike Celebration_
-- Thy Grief - _The Frozen Tomb of Mankind_
-- Transcendence - _Eternal Stream_
-- Turmoil - _Anchor_
-- Vergelmer - _Light the Black Flame_
* New Noise
-- Beauty - _Buried With the Sky_
-- Castigate - _Plectrum Loveless Method_
-- Catarrh - _Nightflight_
-- Cephalectomy - _Gateway To The Gods_
-- Click. - _Live At The Thirsty Whale_
* Chaotic Concerts
-- Dark Times: Emperor, Therion, Crematory and Lake of Tears in
Belgium
-- Big Red Deathfest II: Cornell University, New York
-- Portuguese Potential: University of Porto Engineering, Portugal
* What We Have Cranked
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M MMMMMMMM 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. dP dP .d888b88
M MMMMMMMM 88' `88 88 88 88' `88
M MMMMMMMM 88. .88 88. .88 88. .88
M M `88888P' `88888P' `88888P8
MMMMMMMMMMM
M""MMMMMMMM dP dP
M MMMMMMMM 88 88
M MMMMMMMM .d8888b. d8888P d8888P .d8888b. 88d888b. .d8888b.
M MMMMMMMM 88ooood8 88 88 88ooood8 88' `88 Y8ooooo.
M MMMMMMMM 88. ... 88 88 88. ... 88 88
M M `88888P' dP dP `88888P' dP `88888P'
MMMMMMMMMMM
This is the column where we print those lovely letters our readers
decide so graciously to write us. Whether they be positive, negative,
ignorant or just plain spelled wrong, you can rest assured that
they'll be here in their original form. If you'd like to see your own
letter here, e-mail it to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com> and enter
'Attention Loud Letters' in the subject field. Hopefully all letters
received will be featured in upcoming issues of Chronicles of Chaos.
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997
From: Anand Shah <ashah@ic.sunysb.edu>
Subject: Re: Chronicles of Chaos #25 (1/3)
Hi, I love your e-zine. Its great andI really look forward to it
every month..however, I just wanted to know hy you guys ignore
reviewing bands liek Godflesh , Faith No More, Techno Animal and
other such original extreme metal/industrial/rock/ambient/dub/techno
influences. You shoud know how many bands think of Godflesh as their
influences and you should know how bands like FF and Sepultura always
have words of praise for FNM..yet I didn't see one review for any of
their recent releases..Album of the Year for FNM and Love and Hate in
Dub by Godflesh. I hope to read more about tehm in future.. thanx!
anand
[In our defense, I must say that we have covered an ample amount of
Godflesh in our pages. In CoC #23 we ran an interview with the band,
and in CoC #14 we reviewed the _Love and Hate_ album of which _Love
and Hate in Dub_ is an album of remixes. As for Faith No More, the
reason that we don't cover them in our pages is mainly because they
aren't necessarily an underground band. We'd rather reserve the
limited space in CoC for the more obscure bands that really need the
exposure. Sorry, but if you really want to read about Faith No More,
you can go ahead and pick all sorts of mainstream publications to
fulfill your desire. -- Gino]
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997
From: "Allen Tam" <scribe@sprint.ca>
Subject: resources
I've been a loyal fan of you zine now since issue #5. I'm just
wondering though how does a regular guy like me get my hands on some
of the harder to get albums? I live in Toronto. My only source is
HMV, but most of the time they are sold out, never had it or are
$30+. I was ordering some of my CDs through Sepulture but he took off
with some of my money and I haven't heard from him since. Could you
recomend a distribution company that deals with death metal. Or
another good REALIABLE source. Anyways, thanks in advance and keep up
the great work.
The Silent Scribe
[If anyone else out there has any suggestions for our Silent Scribe
over here, please contact him directly at his email address. Thank
you. -- Gino]
Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997
From: relapse@webtv.net (Lawrence Reynolds)
Subject: the next issue
hey gino! i must say coc really kicks ass! the black metal music is
not my type of thing though.i only like the blasting black
metal(marduk,the abyss,ulver's new one,as wellas a few others)i'm a
huge brutal death metal and grindcore fan. i'd like to see more of
that in future issues.when will the next issue be out? have you heard
the new vader album? is it fucking have a lot of blasting on it? just
get back with me.stay true,travis
travis reynolds
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H A M M E R O F M E T A L
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interviews Gene Palubicki of Angel Corpse
by: Adam Wasylyk
Impressing those of us from CoC who were in attendance at this year's
Michigan Metal Fest with the band's TWO ravenous live sets, Angel
Corpse devastate both in the flesh and on disc, as evidenced by their
Osmose debut _Hammer of Gods_. Boasting influences such as Possessed,
Bathory, and Morbid Angel, a retro feel permeates Angel Corpse's
music -- but rather than exploit it, they've built it into their own
sound and have created some raging black/death metal that other bands
can only dream of comparing to. I had the pleasure of talking at
length with guitarist Gene Palubicki about Angel Corpse and all that
is metal. What made this chat so enjoyable was not only Gene's
honesty but also his evident love for metal. Immerse yourself in the
experience that is Angel Corpse.
CoC: So Angel Corpse was formed as a result of the demise of Order
From Chaos?
Gene Palubicki: Myself and the bass player/vocalist from that band
[Pete Helmkamp] got together because I had known him
for several years prior to their break-up, since
about 1991. When he told me that their band was going
to be finished, for the longest time I thought it
would be great to have him as a vocalist in a band.
When the opportunity came up, I started talking to
him about it. I moved from Minnesota down to Kansas
City, where we started working on some material, and
that's how it all started.
CoC: Why did Order from Chaos break up, and how do you think both
bands compare musically?
GP: There were some eternal problems. I guess their guitar player
wanted to quit the band and start up a side project he was
working on. He wasn't really interested in what Order from Chaos
was doing. That's what probably led to the break up: everybody's
ideas didn't work together anymore. [As for comparisons,] aside
from the fact that it's death metal, I think the actual song
structures and writing are almost unrelated. Because for Order
from Chaos, most of the music was written by the guitar player,
and since that person is not in Angel Corpse, there's really no
comparison at all, aside from the fact that it's death metal.
[For] anyone who's into Order from Chaos, the only thing they
could relate to is that it's the same vocalist. I mean, musically
we're far more fast and brutal.
CoC: When you formed Angel Corpse, what were the philosophies and
expectations behind the band's creation?
GP: What we wanted to do is what we've always enjoyed: to create pure
metal. In this case, pure death metal, death/thrash, black/death,
because that's where we've always come from. We listen to a lot
of the older albums -- like, myself, I think [albums] like
Possessed's _Seven Churches_ are still some of the most stand-out
albums to this day. That stuff was pure metal. It had nothing to
do with trends. What we're doing is pure metal as well, and I
think what we're creating is just metal for the sake of metal.
Pure brutality, craziness, lead guitar solos and stuff. A lot of
bands these days almost try to stamp out what metal really
started out with, with bands like Judas Priest with the dual lead
guitar attack, and they've just tried to turn it into grinding
sludge that has nothing to do with what metal really is. And I
think that's what we're trying to re-birth with Angel Corpse: the
real heavy metal.
CoC: Why do you think that bands have moved away from the lead guitar
approach to metal?
GP: I think that during the late 80s there was a lot of the guitar
hero metal that started to come out, bands like Cacophony and
others, and after a while the lead guitar got to be seen as
cheese. And a lot of bands, like even before the death metal
explosion, had already begun to move away from the idea of doing
leads or any of that. I don't know, I think with so many people
going with the anti-trend to make things more dirty, like back
with grind bands like Carcass and early Napalm Death stuff, it
was like the really hardcore/punk stuff started to cross over
with thrash metal and created this real anti-musical sludge, and
the real element of metal began to be lost. As it became more
refined, metal basically just lost its sight and became more of a
grind thing.
CoC: I noticed a strong _Altars of Madness_-era Morbid Angel
influence on _Hammer of Gods_. Are they a band that have
influenced Angel Corpse?
GP: Yeah, I think especially their album _Altars of Madness_. When
that album came out it was one of the most stand-out albums
during that time, because there weren't really any bands that
were mixing blast beats and super-speed with any kind of
sensibility at all. Plus, they had the kind of energy of some of
the more early Slayer material, or Possessed, for that matter. So
that really stood out as a great metal album. And keeping the
tradition of dual lead guitar attack and all that, it's perfect.
CoC: How did you come to sign to Osmose Productions?
GP: We did a four-track demo tape to showcase some of the songs that
we had at the time. And we sent a tape to Osmose, just seeing if
they would like to do distribution of the demo tape, but when
Herve heard the tape he called us up immediately almost, and he
wanted to sign the band. We did the demo tape, and two weeks
later we were being sent a contract, so we really had no
circulation in the underground at the time we were signed.
CoC: What are your thoughts on the label's roster of bands?
GP: A lot of the newer stuff that's coming out on the label I could
disagree with. This whole retro thing I think is kind of becoming
a really bad trend. I think some of the bands that I totally
distaste are probably Inferno and um....
CoC: Bewitched?
GP: Yeah, Bewitched. I mean, anybody who's really into the style that
they're trying to portray is going to listen to the originators
that do those albums anyway. I mean, why listen to Inferno when
you could listen to _Endless Pain_ [by Kreator] or _Inferal
Overkill_ by Destruction? Those albums are still alive and well,
so we don't need a copy. [Finally someone with the guts to say it
like it is. -- Adam] They're not doing any justice to those
albums by ripping them off. I mean, unless the bands are doing it
as a joke.. And if people are happy with that and they want to
make metal a joke, they can have it, but I don't want any part of
that.
CoC: So you're basically saying it's okay to use influences from the
past, but it's wrong to rip them off?
GP: An influence means that you understood something that somebody's
done and you've incorporated it into what you do, not just
ripping it off. It's like you've learned how somebody did
something, and you take that knowledge and you apply it to what
you know and make your own creation out of it. To just copy what
someone else has done, it's missing creation. Which means it's
just weak.
CoC: What's your view of the opening of Osmose's American office? Do
you think it'll help the state of black metal in North America?
GP: I think so, since most of the black metal stuff from Europe has
only had distribution here through mail order. The fact that you
would be able to go to a store and perhaps find a black metal
album, I think that's a plus. As far as the American market, the
prices would be cheaper, no import prices and no waiting [for
shipping, etc.]. It'll take some time for the label to get itself
organized over here, but probably within a year's time it should
start to rear its head.
CoC: So will _Hammer of Gods_ get this domestic treatment?
GP: Yeah, there's going to be twelve releases that will be the first
batch, and the re-mastered version of _Hammer of Gods_ will be
one of them. It's going to have two bonus tracks, a couple of
cover songs. It'll have covers of Possessed's "Burning in Hell"
and Kreator's "Pleasure to Kill".
CoC: I saw you guys at the Michigan Metal Fest, when you played twice
to make up for the absence of Absu, and I must say I was very
impressed. Describe what an Angel Corpse live set is like.
GP: PURE DIABOLIC CHAOS! We try to present something to look at. At
that show, for example, there would be like ten bands that would
play that you wouldn't really watch but you'd hear. Because if
you looked at the stage there was nothing to see. It was just
bands going through the motions, nothing exciting. Nothing very
metal about the whole thing. The whole thing about metal is it's
supposed to grab people's attention. It's not supposed to be
something you just stare at and say "whatever" and just wait for
the next band to come up afterwards. We try to make something so
that there's actually reason to watch what's going on on the
stage. It's like with leads -- one guy on one side of the stage
breaks off into some total craziness, when all of a sudden the
people watching the show can actually look and see what's going
on on another part of the stage. Then the other guy goes into
some crazy part. It's basically to have action going on while
you're playing. And since we play so incredibly fast anyway,
there's always going to be some kind of action going on, and we
never slow down. That's just not our thing.
CoC: What did you think of the Milwaukee Metal Fest?
GP: It was a pretty good show, but there was a lot of the same, a lot
of bands sounding alike. I think that's where we really stood out
at that show. There was no other band at that show that sounded
even remotely close to what we were doing.
CoC: Of the two festivals, was there one that you enjoyed more, or
did they compare pretty closely?
GP: Aside from the fact that the Milwaukee deal was a lot bigger and
there was a lot more people there, I'd have to say the Milwaukee
show was better. There actually seemed to be people at the
Milwaukee show who were familiar with us; we got a fair crowd
response. But at the Michigan show I don't think anyone knew who
the fuck we were! <laughs>
CoC: Something that caught my eye at your Michigan show was your
other guitarist Bill [Taylor, ex/Xenomorph]. As I was watching
him on stage, I noticed that his arms appeared to be cut up.
Does he do that sort of thing?
GP: Yeah, he does that.
CoC: So he's into self-mutilation?
GP: Yeah.
CoC: What are your thoughts on that?
GP: Well, myself, I don't really practice that kind of thing. But I
guess each one of us in this band are into their own individual
thing. You can kind of tell -- I mean, aside from the fact that
now all three of us actually have shaved heads -- by looking at
each of us on stage, we don't have any kind of unified look. Each
one of us are in our own little world while we're out there,
which I think is cool, instead of looking like robots.
CoC: Are you one who subscribes to the belief that keyboards and
female vocals don't belong in black metal, or do you think that
they can be used efficiently to create atmosphere?
GP: The whole thing with keyboards and female vocals seems like more
of something that's attributed to gothic style music, as it
originally was. With something ambient like Dead Can Dance, music
like that looks great with female vocals. But when it's crossed
over into metal, that's all it really is -- it's a cross-over.
It's not pure. Obviously, in a way I'm wrong by saying that,
because a lot of bands that do that, crossing metal with gothic
influences and keyboards and female vocals, seem to be doing very
successfully. But in my opinion, since I like things to be pure
with art, I think it degenerates old genres. Because, I mean,
people who are really going to be into the metal stuff aren't
really going to like the keyboards and female vocals. But then
you got people that are into gothic, romantic, dark ambient music
that are going to hear the stuff, and the metal that's going to
be in the music they're not going to like. But there's this new
fan base that's around nowadays that actually does like that
stuff -- but I really, to say the least, don't tolerate it.
CoC: _Hammer of Gods_ has been out for quite a while, so I'm sure you
guys have a good amount of new material already.
GP: Yeah, at the end of October we're going into the studio to record
the new album.
CoC: Is there a title for it yet?
GP: Oh yeah. The new album is called _Exterminate_.
CoC: How does it compare to the material off _Hammer of Gods_?
GP: It's definitely in the same vein as _Hammer of Gods_, but there's
a lot more emphasis on the speed element. This [new] album's got
a lot more really brutal double bass and a lot more blasting.
It's going to be faster. Other than that, I guess anybody who
liked or hated our first album is probably going to have a more
extreme reaction to this new album. We're definitely going to
have a lot better production on this new album: we're going to
Morrisound Studios down in Tampa to record the new one.
CoC: Where was _Hammer of Gods_ recorded, by the way?
GP: _Hammer of Gods_ was recorded in a local studio here in Kansas
City, and in the end we were kind of unhappy with the way it came
out. The engineer didn't really know what it was that we wanted,
and we weren't very experienced working in a real studio at all
ourselves, so the production is really lacking on _Hammer of
Gods_ in hindsight. I mean, it's still a very brutal album, and
we still like all the songs and we'll play them all live, but I
think the first album leaves a lot to be desired as far as the
kind of sound that we wanted. This new album is really going to
let people know what it is that we're all about.
CoC: Finally, what do you think the future holds for Angel Corpse?
GP: Ideally, I hope that we can continue to do a lot more albums and
get some good tours and stuff so we can get this stuff out. I
really want to get people back into the pure metal thing. I want
to get this stuff in the limelight. There's going to be a lot of
great albums in the near future. I mean, just in the beginning of
'98 the new Morbid Angel album is going to be absolutely killer.
I just really want people to get back into what is the essence of
death metal. The whole gothic and romanticism thing, it has
nothing to do with metal. Death metal is supposed to be about
violence, brutality and vengeance, and I want to get that spirit
back into people's hearts.
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T H E D A R K A G E H A S A R R I V E D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interviews Lord Ahriman of Dark Funeral
by: Adam Wasylyk
One of many black metal bands to embrace aggression and harshness,
Dark Funeral are one of Sweden's bigger bands, and rightfully so,
judging from their well-received debut, 1996's _The Secrets of the
Black Arts_. A cold exercise in outright brutality, the
aforementioned record has just been given the domestic treatment by
Metal Blade (Attic here in Canada), meaning more black metal fans in
this part of the world will be treated to a record well worth its
weight in blasphemy. A failed phone interview transmogrified into an
e-mail interview with co-founding member Lord Ahriman, who was cool
enough to answer some questions about their upcoming US tour, their
upcoming record, and various other matters.
CoC: Even though this album has been out for quite a while, why don't
you tell me about _The Secrets of the Black Arts_, for those who
haven't had the pleasure of hearing it.
Lord Ahriman: _The Secrets of The Black Arts_ was recorded during two
weeks in the Abyss Studio in July '95. Musically, it
can be described as pure Satanic mayhem. It includes 11
tracks with a combination of ultra brutal riffs and
pure blood-freezing melodies with eerie classical
themes in a furious speed.
CoC: So since the recording of this album in the summer of 1995,
three of the four band members have left, leaving you to pick up
the pieces. Please update us on your present-day line up.
LA: Besides me on guitar, the current line-up consists of Typhos
(guitar), Emperor Magus Caligula (bass & vocals) and Alzazmon
(drums).
CoC: Due to these line-up changes, has Dark Funeral's sound changed?
More melodic/atmospheric? More aggressive?
LA: Even if I'm the only original member left, you shouldn't expect
any sudden changes. But I am sure that people will notice that we
have changed a few members. Partly, we are more tight as a unit
than we were with any previous line-up. Our new material is like
a natural improvement on our previous album _The Secrets of The
Black Arts_. The main difference is that we have now included
more rhythms as well as increased the speed. The new songs are
also far darker, more technical, and much more varied than on our
last release. This makes each track genuine in its own way. We
have improved the previous style, but also continued in a more
genuine and professional way.
CoC: What is your view on being picked up by Metal Blade for US
distribution? Was it something that was a complete surprise to
you, or was this a deal long in the making?
LA: Yeah, when I first heard about it, it was definitely a big
surprise to me. Although from the day we received the offer, it
took about 6 months before the deal was set, and a few more
months before the album finally was released in the States.
CoC: Have you been looked down upon by other black metal bands for
making what they may see as a "commercial" or "mainstream" move
by having Metal Blade involved in your distribution?
LA: No. So far I haven't noticed, or heard any negative words towards
us about being licensed to Metal Blade, even though I'm sure
there must be some envious motherfuckers who believe that we have
turned into a more commercial act because of this. But I can
assure you that we will forever be true to the underground!!!
CoC: What is the present relationship between you and No Fashion?
What are your thoughts on its band roster?
LA: It's very satisfying. No Fashion are doing an excellent job for
us, although it can never be too good, if you know what I mean.
There are a few acts on the label that I really like, and respect
for what they are doing. There are also a few bands I consider to
be purely shit, but enough of that.
CoC: Describe a Dark Funeral live show.
LA: Our hellish live performance is like a black mass. It's probably
one of the most extreme and intense live performances you could
ever behold. The introduction of the show, consisting of a
destruction ritual, is performed live by the four of us. We are
painted like demons, wearing spikes and rivets, and of course
covered with pure animal blood. We also carry ancient weapons.
The show includes fire-breathing as well as our typical stage
show, in which we have pig heads impaled on two huge inverted
crosses placed in the front of the stage. Unfortunately, due to
hygienic causes, most of the venues, at least during our last
European tour, refuse to let us perform with the pig heads.
However, when the pig heads are included in the show, Emperor
Magus Caligula and I end the show by slashing them into pieces.
CoC: Some have said that this use of the pig heads in your live show
is a rip-off of Mayhem's. What's your response to this?
LA: Ha, before someone should say anything stupid like that, I would
suggest that he or she check out our hellish live performance.
It's not even close to the Mayhem show, as Mayhem did only one
single show with pig heads. We have done over 40.
CoC: I heard that Emperor Magus Caligula recently injured himself on
stage at a show you played in Finland. What happened?
LA: It wasn't in Finland. It happened during our last tour throughout
Europe on the opening show in Geeleen (NL). At the end of that
show, while Emperor Magus Caligula and I slashed the pig heads
into pieces, Caligula happened to hit himself on the leg with a
big butcher's knife. Even if the blood was pounding out from his
veins, he was still able to continue the show without any
interference.
CoC: So you are presently recording at the Abyss Studio. Please give
us a studio update and describe how the material is coming out.
LA: Yeah, we have recently completed a three week recording session
in the Abyss Studio (Sept. 1- Sept. 21), which means that a new
Satanic symphony of Dark Funeral finally is completed and put on
tape. During the three weeks we spent in the Abyss Studio, we
recorded 8 tracks, which in total have a running time on 35
minutes. A few of the new titles are: "Slava Satan", "Ravenna
Strigoi Mortii", "Ineffable King of Darkness", and "Enriched By
Evil". In my opinion, this is the most superior recording we have
done to date. It's also the fastest and most aggressive, yet it
holds a very melodic and hellish atmosphere. The album will carry
the title _VOBISCUM SATANAS_, and the release is scheduled in
February '98. Stay tuned for a new christ-raping piece of wrath!!
CoC: Since _The Secrets..._ was released, Blackmoon has left the
band. What were the reasons for his departure? And with him
being one of the creators of Dark Funeral, was the band's future
ever in doubt?
LA: Hell no, the future of the band was never in doubt. We had and
still have everything under total control. Due to several
reasons, we came to a point where the cooperation between
Blackmoon and us, the rest of the band, couldn't continue. The
new and present lineup is the best we have had so far. And I
would say that we have finally found a stable, well working, and
highly professional lineup.
CoC: Blackmoon was very outspoken about his views of Christianity.
What are your views concerning religion and Christianity?
LA: I'm an elitist and a diehard Satanist, so I guess my opinions
about religions and Christian people are quite obvious.
CoC: What's the relationship between Swedish black metal bands? Is it
on the friendship side, or on the more competitive side?
LA: Well, there is this kind of silly backstabbing and threats
between almost each and every band. There are only a few bands
that I find worth in socializing with. I have, as you might
understand, stopped caring about all this childishness going on
within the scene. I just ignore these kind of low life attitudes.
All this shit is just a matter of jealousy, so why fucking
bother?
CoC: How did it come about for Dark Funeral to play its first gig in
North America? A tour is planned -- which bands are on it, and
what are the dates/venue's planned?
LA: It's a long story, but I will make it short. A couple of months
ago, I made like a business call for House of Kicks/No Fashion
Records to Shane Bugbee. I did not present myself as being Lord
Ahriman of Dark Funeral. I went under another alias. After a
while, he mentioned that he was planning to put up a huge
festival, Expo of the Extreme. Since I was doing this phone call
for H.o.K., I couldn't resist asking him if he would be
interested in bringing over a band from No Fashion. After going
through all the bands, he said "I want Dark Funeral to play the
festival." I guess Shane was pretty surprised when I finally told
him that I was Lord Ahriman, guitarist of Dark Funeral. Later the
tour plans came up. We were asked to headline the tour. And of
course we were [willing]. At first it was only planned to be a
mini-tour, but as time has passed it is now a full scheduled U.S.
tour. We will start the tour in Chicago at the Expo of the
Extreme Oct. 31st and do, as far as I'm informed, the last show
in Oregon Nov. 29th. Besides Dark Funeral, the tour will include
Acheron, Destroyer 666, and Usurper.
CoC: Any message/warning to your fans here in North America before
your arrival on these shores?
LA: Join us in Chicago at the Expo of the Extreme and during our
"American Satanic Crusade Tour". And together, let's summon the
demon god and invoke the new dark age!!!
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S K R E W I N ' T H E D A W G
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interviews Skrew
by: Adrian Bromley
Skrew singer/guitarist/writer Adam Grossman is a workhorse; he
has always given 100% of his energy to the industrial/metal outfit.
He takes his music very seriously -- and it shows in the band's
material.
Since the band's 1992 Metal Blade debut, _Burning in Water,
Drowning In Flames_, Skrew has evolved due to the ingestion of
multiple styles and ideas. Over the years, Skrew has chipped away at
the frame of the band's music in an attempt to perfect their sound.
Fans of the band have witnessed the band's growth through numerous
releases: 1994's brilliant _Dusted_, 1995's _Shadow of Doubt_, and
_Angel Seed XIII_, their latest effort.
Grossman starts talking about the new record and the direction
of Skrew in 1997: "I don't know where to really begin about this
record. What is a record other than where you are at that time?
Talking about the last record, _SoD_, I was involved in a major car
accident while making the record and the record was pushed back. That
was a great record, but I don't really remember making it 'cause I
was under some really heavy narcotics and medication. I still love
that record. It's funny when I hear it now, it just has this
seething, burning down inside the pit of your stomach feel to it,
whereas _ASXIII_ is more in your face and immediate. This record is
like a punch in the mouth."
"I think the record is like that for several reasons," adds
Grossman, "one of the reasons being that we had five weeks to do this
record, which is like the shortest amount of time we have ever had to
work on a record. We crammed it in. We went in and pumped it out. I
would have liked a little bit more time, but y'know what? It worked
out fine."
He continues, "I think this record shows off the sickness of
life to some degree. I don't write pretty songs. That is not what
motivates me to write. My musical education comes from the old Blues
-- 1930s and 40s material -- and so I think that works into my
songwriting. Not pretty stuff. When I was a kid growing up I was all
into bands like Bauhaus or The Birthday Party, and all that stuff was
dark and showed a vile side of life. I just take my musical
inspiration and writing styles from all that, writing darkened tales
of life and what we go through. It's all there in my music."
From where does Grossman derive the song ideas? Are they always
present? "Yeah, I am always writing. We already have four or five
songs ready to play live or put down on record. I think it is more
like, do I have time to be creative? I am always creating. If it
isn't something music related then it is something visual. I do a lot
of artwork, and that keeps me busy too. I don't know, ideas are
always there; it is just getting the time to work on them that is the
obstacle."
Grossman has helped produce both this record and a few other
bands (Atlanta band Big Twin Din and German industrial/rock act
Testify) over the course of a year. He is constantly learning and
acknowledges that he has far more to learn. "I don't even consider
myself a 'producer', but I sure am doing something right, as I keep
getting offers to do this. I worked on three records, including my
own, in the last year, so I am happy to be doing this. I would do it
again if I was asked to."
Skrew has been Grossman's baby since its inception in 1992. He
has been at the helm for the last five years as many musicians
playing in Skrew have come and gone. Despite the frequent changes,
Grossman still stays focused and adamant about keeping the sound of
Skrew flourishing and vibrant no matter who is in the band. The
quintet is currently rounded out by programmer/keyboardist Jim
Vollantine, guitarists Jason L. and Doug C., bassist Frapp, and
drummer Chris I.
_ASXIII_ is unlike any other Skrew record, since it caters not
to what Skrew has been or should be about (an industrial/metal feel)
but more to what feels natural in the state of progression for the
band. Grossman agrees. His focus was more on feelings than sticking
to a certain style or niche. "I agree... this record definitely has
that feel. When we were working on the _SoD_ album with producer Neil
Kernon, it was such a fucking intense learning experience for us.
This motherfucker has been around, and we learned a lot of shit with
him. We really did. But you know what? He really had this set idea of
what the Skrew record should sound like. He told me before going into
the studio this was what we were gonna do, and I was into that. This
record, we wanted to have more of a free flow of ideas going around.
I think we captured that. All the elements of Skrew are there, but
they aren't set to sound like this or sound like that. It just molds
itself."
Once asked about the significance of the album title, Grossman
replies, "The title is just words that we came up with in order to
best represent the material on the record. Let's get into the name
first: _Angel Seed_. Okay... what is a seed? A seed is where human
life, plant life, or any type of life starts with a seed. With angel,
it kind of represents this mythological figure you might see. When
you die and go to heaven you might see one. Or even when you die you
might become a good or bad angel. The title is all-encompassing. And
the XIII is actually a number that stands for unbalance of things.
Y'know... not in order. So the name of the record signifies an
unbalance of life. We really didn't put much thought into it, but it
seems like we did."
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Q U E S T I O N S F R O M T H E T E M P L E O F P A I N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interviews Algaion
by: Drew Schinzel
When the name Algaion comes up, it's usually associated with
high-velocity excursions into melodic black metal -- but no longer.
With _General Enmity_, Algaion have separated themselves from that
genre, veering much more towards melodic power metal, with various
other influences. What brought about these changes? What's the
lyrical philosophy of Algaion? What are the band's feelings towards
the music world? Read on as Marten and Mathias of Algaion answer
these questions and more...
CoC: "General Enmity" is quite a change from your earlier material.
What caused the transformation? Hardly any of the old style is
there anymore.
Marten: We were completely silent for two years, no rehearsals or
anything. Also, if one person writes all the music, it is
easier for a band to change radically. Personally, I like the
new style better.
CoC: Now, with the new sound, what's your opinion of the older
albums?
Marten: I think that they are among the best of their kind and that
they are under-promoted. Both our older albums kill.
CoC: The tone of the album seems fairly misanthropic. What's your
view of humanity in general?
Marten: I think that humanity in general is totally useless. I have
no illusions about man's character or capacity but see man as
one of many biological processes. Even with this starting
point, I get constantly disappointed.
CoC: What would you say were your biggest influences for the new
album?
Marten: My finding out about Sigvard Nilsson-Thurneman and F.T.
Marinetti. Sigvard Thurneman was in 1936 declared the most
dangerous man in Europe. He was the leader of a secret
organization called DMC. They developed a "dehumanization
program" that would rid themselves of the human nature they
detested. Their goal was the total loss of compassion that
comes with realizing you are no longer part of mankind.
Thurneman was arrested in 1936 for a series of murders,
arsons, and robberies and was locked up for a long time. (He
got out in 1969 -- yes, the Swedish legal system is nice.)
F.T. Marinetti published his "Futurist Manifesto" in a French
newspaper in 1909. He was the founder of what is called the
Futurist Movement. The futurists were the furious enemies of
all romanticism of the past and of lame art and symbolism.
Instead, they proclaimed the glorification of new technology
and violence: anything that shaped the world according to the
will of the mangod. DMC does not exist anymore, and the
futurists have been low on followers after the fall in 1945
of their political comrades. Algaion is the last defender of
these great ideas. It would be against my ideal to
romanticize these persons in their entirety just because they
happened to live before us. The way I see it, they provided
the form that we fill with contemporary contents.
Mathias: Well, lyrically anyway. Musically, I get inspired by
whatever it is that I'm listening to, be it Mayhem,
Helloween, Hypocrisy, Meshuggah, Brutality, Malevolent
Creation, King Diamond, or whatever. I think one can tell I
get inspiration from many different bands.
CoC: Do you think that with the first two releases the band was
holding back some of the elements found on _General Enmity_? Or
was there just a sudden shift of musical inspiration, nothing
more?
Marten: I think that the last track on the MCD we recorded in 1995
bears certain elements that are found on our new material. We
have always been very melodic, so once the pace was held back
it was not any big step for us.
Mathias: Yeah, I think it also was a case of us no longer giving a
damn about what others might think of the music. I think I
was a bit too concerned with what people would think before.
Now that we realized that 80% of all into this genre are
morons anyway, we just thought we'd do what -we- thought
sounded good. So, this CD is for me and Marten, but if
others happen to like it too, that's just a bonus.
CoC: What brought the new members into the band?
Marten: We have no new members; we just got help from more musicians.
Algaion is and will be me and Mathias.
Mathias: Yeah, we prefer the term 'sidekicks'. Just like Batman had
Robin, Algaion have Erik and Tobias. But just like there
could only be one Batman, there can only be one Algaion. Me
and Marten.
CoC: The vocals on _GE_ are still basically in the old style. Why
didn't you change these also?
Marten: I think there is quite a difference. I think that vocals the
old high pitched way would not have fit the new music. One of
the things that I dislike the most about many bands is the
tendency to have the music on the one hand and then the
vocals that sound like they have no relation to the rest of
the music -- as if the vocalist was in another room imitating
a duck as much as he can, with no relation to the music --
and then this misery is mixed so high it easily weighs up ten
tracks of music. This is the reason the vocals are mixed so
low on all our material .
CoC: Did you ever consider singing cleanly?
Marten: I think that would have been a blatant sell-out, and that was
not the idea with this album.
CoC: Is there anything you're unsatisfied with about the album?
Marten: No. It rules.
CoC: Now that you have a full line-up, is there any possibility of
live shows in the future?
Marten: Actually we have played live already, one month ago, with
Voivod and Dismember here in Sweden. We have several new
shows coming up. The closest in time is in November with our
good friends Sorhin. Their new CD is out, and their label
arranged something that we will take part in.
CoC: Was _GE_ a difficult album to write? How long did it take?
Marten: Once we got started rehearsing, it took maybe two months.
This is a -lot- longer than it took to write our previous
albums. I do not understand bands that ask us this question
and then tell us they have been playing for years and years
but that they still only have one or two songs. (Of course,
the usual explanation is that they have been playing together
not for years and years but rather days and days.) Provided
that you are not a nitwit, it does not take too long to write
good music.
CoC: How has the reaction to the album been thus far?
Marten: Great. The people whose opinion we care about have thought it
excellent. Our label, magazines, and major distributors
believe in this new CD completely. Some forestkids are bound
to dislike it, but we knew that from the start; it is part of
their adolescent rebellion.
CoC: Why did your final choice for a label fall on Wounded Love?
Considering negotiations took place with Nuclear Blast, etc.
Marten: Wounded Love is great label that lets us do what we want. We
have nothing against Nuclear Blast, except the fact that they
have quite a lot of bands that are total crap and have names
that rhyme with words that end with "...orgir".
CoC: Do you think the band will continue in this direction for the
next album?
Marten: The new material will be (well, is) in the line of the track
"Mangod Hold the Sceptre" on the new CD, but with more power
metal influences and more melodies. It is also faster than
most of what is on General Enmity.
CoC: So what's next for the band?
Marten: We have been offered to tour Europe early next year. There
will probably be a new CD recorded next summer, I think.
CoC: What do you like least about being in the music business?
Marten: The "music business attitude". We do not care about being
cool, getting girls and unlimited amounts of alcohol. We
would never dress up in gay clothes and sing about "gothic
romances" just to impress girls, just as little as we would
ever join a movement like "Headbangers Against Disco".
Algaion is Algaion, and our ideals do not agree with any
musical subculture. The music, of course, has similarities
with existing kinds of music, but this is a natural result of
the limited amount of possible chords. Ideologically, our
influences are over sixty years back in time and have no
relation to music or coolness or what we would do with a
million dollars.
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A M O R B I D U P D A T E
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interviews Trey Azagthoth of Morbid Angel
by: Adam Wasylyk
Morbid Angel is arguably one of the best death metal bands to come
out of North America to "Dominate" the four corners of the Earth -- a
band that has changed the face of modern death metal. The world will
soon be graced by the band's sixth album, to be titled _Formulas
Fatal to the Flesh_, which will mark the absense of second guitarist
Erik Rutan and long time bassist/vocalist Dave Vincent. Chronicles of
Chaos was selected to do one of a limited amount of interviews with
guitar genius Trey Azagthoth before the record's release. Even though
this turned out to be a shorter chat than expected (and a bad
connection made transcription of this interview pure hell, no pun
intended), it should help update fans on their upcoming record and
other events concerning this most unholy group.
CoC: I'm sure all of your fans know by now that Dave has left the
band. Just to recap, what were the reasons for his departure?
Trey Azagthoth: I would say it was a change in interest. He was with
us for ten years, and now I guess, like what he's
doing now with the Genitorturers is quite different
than what he did with us. A lot of it was when
_Domination_ came out, I wasn't really happy with the
lyrical content as much. [The lyrics were written by
Dave.] I didn't feel it really tapped into the true
purpose of the band. I felt that he was moving away
from that purpose, which is a spiritual thing and
giving praise to the Ancient Ones. He was moving on
to different subject matter. And I told him that for
the next album that we were going to do, I wanted to
start writing the lyrics again and get things back on
track with the true purpose. And I guess he didn't
feel so good about that; he wanted to continue in a
different vein. And we parted on good terms.
CoC: You've replaced him with the relatively unknown Steve Tucker.
How did you find him, and what was it about him that made you
want him to join Morbid Angel?
TA: He's from a Cincinnati band called Ceremony. He has a very deep
type of growling vocals, and he's also part Indian -- so he's a
very spiritual person, and that's what I really want in the band:
very spiritual type people. He's 23 years old, and he's a
talented bass player. This time I wrote all the music and lyrics
and worked with him real close on the phrasing of the words, and
he was great at that. He didn't come at me with some attitude
like he wanted to write the lyrics or whatever. He's the perfect
person.
CoC: How does Steve compare to Dave in respects like vocals and bass
style? Or are they both completely different?
TA: As far as his vocal style, I would say that his natural range is
really close to David when he was singing the more deep-toned,
growling type of vocals. You know, Dave did different kinds of
things on different albums, but when he sounded on _Covenant_ or
material like that, I thought that was the better range that he
used. He [Steve] is very comparable to that. And then also
there's parts of new songs where the vocals are sung very quick,
and that's something I've been wanting to do for a long time. So
everything is more fast: vocals, bass, guitars, and drums,
everything rough and powerful. He does a few things like
harmonizing, doing a low vocal part and a higher, screechy vocal
part together in one section. That was also something I had
wanted to do for a long time, but David wasn't really too open to
that idea; he didn't like the idea of using a harmonizer on
anything. I personally think that it adds some dimension to the
band, because the voice isn't supposed to sound like a person;
it's supposed to sound like a great being. And sometimes [we
used] several voices that would make up this great being. But
definitely, it's the roar that I was looking for. I didn't want
someone to come in and cup the mike and sing like <he proceeds to
blow hard into the phone, which sounds like a growl, causing me
to laugh>. I want to hear the words, and I want to hear the
articulation of the syllables as much as possible, and that was
something Dave could do as well. He was very articulate in what
he was saying; most of the stuff you could understand the words,
and plus it was powerful. Steve does a really good job at that.
CoC: About your upcoming record _Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_: how
much has been recorded, and how does the material compare to
that on _Domination_?
TA: Well, at this stage we've done the vocals, the drums, the
rhythms, and the bass. I'm going to do my solos at home, and
we're going to do the mix at the end of this month. As far as how
they [the albums] compare, a lot of it returns to the roots of
the band in purpose and in style. The past couple of albums we've
used a metronome, which has its benefits, but it can also sort of
sterilize the feeling. The benefits would be timing and keeping
it "correct". But later I realized the live feel of playing the
songs would circle a bit -- a bit faster or slower, that's a live
feeling. And I realized that with a metronome it would sterilize
things a bit. Look at _Domination_: there was too much digital
type stuff as well. So this is very analog, very lively. The
guitars are also maybe a bit more raw. As far as the style or the
music, most of it is fast and furious, and there's a few tracks
that are some of the older feel, heavy type of riffing like
"Abominations", "Ancient Ones", or "Angel of Disease" -- that
kind of feeling from the earlier stuff. Then there's a song,
another down-tuned, seven-string sludge song called "Nothing is
Not" [this title may be wrong due to our bad phone connection --
Adam] that has a slow groove and slow, heavy type feel to it.
There's quite a few polyrhythms that I'm using on different parts
and variations. I would say that most of it's fast and some slow
stuff, very furious, very sick, and very ugly.
CoC: Were you happy with how _Entangled In Chaos_ came out?
TA: Yeah, I think for a live album it came out great. I was also the
one who produced it. It's very lively. With all the crazy things
that happened: tuning, mistakes, cymbals falling down... With all
that stuff happening and with the speed at which we're playing, I
think things turned out great.
CoC: Will it see a domestic release? (The album is currently only
available in Europe.)
TA: I don't believe so; I think it'll be strictly for import.
CoC: Eric Rutan left the band a while ago as well. Why did he leave?
TA: I guess I wanted to get the band back into the way that I created
it to begin with. I was the one who created this band back in
1984, before I had met any of the people in the band right now. I
wanted to get it back on the right track, lyrically and
musically. Basically, I wanted to be the sole creator of
everything on this album, except for a couple of segues. There's
one segue where Pete [Sandoval, drums] created the underlying
melodies and I enhanced it with the performance of a keyboard on
it. And there's going to be a drum solo, like a tribal drum thing
that was created by him. But as far as the actual tracks, they're
all my thing. Erik is now working on a couple of projects
himself.
CoC: So for tour purposes a second guitarist will be added, right?
TA: Well, actually we're working on getting Richard Brunelle back.
[Brunelle's guitar work appeared on _Altars of Madness_ and
_Blessed are the Sick_. -- Adam] Because all I want is backing
guitar now in a live situation.
CoC: Pete and Erik have been involved in side projects in the past.
Do you have such a project?
TA: I've been messing around with the idea of a guitar album that I
was going to do with Mike [last name is unintelligible on my tape
-- Adam] from Nocturnus. I've been really busy doing other
things, and Morbid Angel is my principal priority. Maybe
something will come from this project; it's called Chewing Inc.
It's going to be just a bunch of guitar stuff and instrumentals.
It was fun, and hopefully something will come out from it.
CoC: Has Earache expressed interest in releasing it, or do you think
it would be on another label?
TA: I don't know, it would probably be on Earache.
CoC: When will _Formulas Fatal to the Flesh_ be released?
TA: I think in January.
CoC: And a tour will follow?
TA: Yeah, probably in February we'll start doing some touring.
CoC: Finally, what do you say to people who think that with Dave's
departure Morbid Angel's glory days are gone?
TA: That seems like a statement which has a lot of limitation written
into it. I can't really say it affects my being. I guess it goes
with the old saying, "You can please some of the people some of
the time, but you can't please all the people all the time." You
see, the thing is that with this album that I'm creating, it's
about the triumvirate and the Ancient Ones; that's who [the
album] is built for. For them, first. So they will love it,
period. Because it's their manifestation. If the other people
don't like it, then whatever.
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'C A U S E I ' M A W A R M A C H I N E !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CoC Interview's Six Feet Under's Chris Barnes
by: Adrian Bromley
While there may not be anything original about the sound
emanating from the new Six Feet Under record _Warpath_, it is the
deliverance and groove blaring from the 12-song LP that sparks life
into the project led by ex-Cannibal Corpse growler Chris Barnes. The
band's two previous releases (1995's _Haunted_ LP and last year's EP
_Alive And Dead_) were mediocre, generic death metal records --
something that would not have been expected, seeing that Barnes was
collaborating with Obituary guitar slinger Allen West in what many
were calling a "super-group". (SFU is rounded out by drummer Greg
Gall and bassist Terry Butler.) The band took some negative shots and
criticism over the debut album and kept going, later putting out the
live EP.
It now appears that a few years of touring and taking time off
to regroup and write new material have paid off for Barnes and
company, as _Warpath_ flies off the handle with its pure brutality
and no-holds-barred deliverance of intensity. Barnes talks to
Chronicles of Chaos from his home in Florida about the making of the
record, working with Scott Burns, and smoking pot. Be a trooper and
read on.
CoC: Both previous albums received mediocre reviews. There were some
bad reviews about the _Haunted_ LP and that must have affected
you. Did it? If so, how did it affect the type of record you
were going to write with _Warpath_?
Chris Barnes: It's funny. All of the bad press and whatnot had no
real influence on the way this record was done or
recorded. People have been saying what they wanted to
for years about me and the bands I have been involved
in. I can take the criticism, just not the tabloid
journalism. I think there are ways to review someone's
stuff in a professional manner, and then there is a way
that almost demeans the reader to pick it up 'cause
this writer who is 'oh so important' put it down so
bad. Stuff like that might have inspired me in a way,
because everything you see, feel and hear becomes part
of you and comes out of you in some form or another.
Music and writing is my outlet, so it came out that
way. I think a lot of that kind of stuff went into the
songwriting that I did with _Warpath_ -- songs that
deal with every
day life and how I feel we have lost our
personal freedoms and human rights. We have given up
our rights for modern day convenience.
CoC: How do you feel about handling press duties in the band? I would
assume that after a while of working on the record and finally
putting it out and doing press for it, you really don't want to
deal with the record anymore, let alone talk about it. Is that
true?
CB: That is totally true. It does shift. I would say two or three
months after a record comes out, it all starts to change. I like
to talk to people and all, don't get me wrong, but after that
time frame you just don't want to deal with people and press and
stuff. It has all been said. Same goes for touring. After like
six weeks on the road with twelve guys in a crammed bus, you do
think about going home and relaxing.
CoC: Since leaving Cannibal Corpse and starting up and continuing on
with Six Feet Under, how have you changed as a person?
CB: You know, I haven't changed much at all. I am the same person I
was years ago. I'm a little more open to my writing now, because
I have been given the opportunity to do so with this band. I am
able to explore my own thoughts a little deeper and not be boxed
into what four other people want. Not that I wasn't writing what
I wanted to in Cannibal Corpse; it's just that if I wanted to
write a song like "A Journey Into Darkness" [off of _Warpath_],
they wouldn't have wanted it on the record. I guess the way I see
it is, as time goes by you experience different things, and for
the most part I am still the same person, sitting back, smoking
some herb, and still writing some kick-ass music.
CoC: Looking back at it now, has leaving Cannibal Corpse affected
you?
CB: Leaving Cannibal Corpse never really affected me. I was just
happy that at that time I had SFU to work with when I did get out
of Cannibal Corpse, and that I have been able to continue on with
this record and the SFU project. Leaving Cannibal was more like a
release for me. Someone told me once a long time ago, "After your
first love breaks your heart, your heart can't be broken again,"
and that really stuck with me with the move to SFU.
CoC: How long did it take to work and finish up the new record? Did
you take your time this time out? I heard you had to wait for
Allen to finish his duties with Obituary (the _Back From The
Dead_ LP) before you could work on this LP.
CB: It was a very relaxed environment for us. Before we recorded, I
had taken two months off from singing. I have never done that. We
just came into the studio with a totally new outlook on things.
CoC: Why did SFU not work with Scott Burns this time out? Was it a
different experience for you to not work with him?
CB: It was like a breath of fresh air. His production...oh man. When
he mixed _Butchered At Birth_, it just didn't sound right. By
that time, we [Cannibal Corpse] had a better understanding of the
studio. I noticed the rough tape sounded good, and then after
working with him it didn't sound right. I wanted someone else,
but it never happened. Scott was always a good guy, don't get me
wrong, but that last thing with Cannibal [leading up to Barnes'
departure from the band] rubbed me the wrong way. I still think
he was out to ruin me. We just didn't see eye to eye. _Haunted_
had been done six months before we went in to work on Cannibal
Corpse, then I was fired halfway through the new LP. The rough
mixes of the newer material of Cannibal sounded good, but things
just changed. He got this major attitude.. I will never work with
him again. This time in we recorded here at home with Brain
Slagel, and it was a bit more comfortable. We had our own time
and our own schedule. It worked out for the better.
CoC: Explain to me the difference between _Warpath_ and the two other
releases of SFU.
CB: In an overall sense, _Haunted_ had a lot more fiction. I am
speaking in a lyrical sense between both LPs. A couple of songs
like "Beneath The Black Sky" and "Human Target" were about life
and about prophecy. There was a sprinkle of that reality in the
songwriting on the first record, whereas on this record things
are reversed. That type of stuff and songs about rights, freedom
of choice, and other reality-based themes make up this record
with a sprinkle of fiction. From my point of view, that is what I
like singing and writing about now. Of course, the music has
changed, as have the vocals. It's all different this time out.
CoC: Is your approach to making music changed? Does it all have to be
growls and speed anymore?
CB: The music is still heavy as fuck, and as far as vocals go, I sing
however I think it best accommodates the music. I thought of
working the music more this record. I was thinking about how we
were going to do things, 'cause I never follow trends or other
types of music. I never do.
CoC: You have obviously altered your song writing style, seeing that
now you are tackling real life issues within your music. Is it a
big change for you?
CB: You can only get inspired by a blast beat so many times. That is
just a one-sided tempo, and that is how Cannibal was. Not to say
I wasn't experimenting here and there, but I can sure as hell do
a lot more of it here now. Maybe my songwriting has shifted and
altered a bit because I am more comfortable? Who knows? It's
weird how my writing changes, and sometimes I don't even
understand. It is largely affected by meditation and spiritual
use of cannabis. I think the use of cannabis and this meditation
process opens up another part of your brain that is only
accessible this way. I follow this state of daydreaming, and it
just comes out of me. I can't explain it.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
A N O F F I C E R A N D A G E N T L E M A N
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An Interview with Niden Div. 187
by: Drew Schinzel
A hyperspeed sonic assault of pummeling drums, explosive guitars, and
tortured vocals, Niden Div. 187 is one of the most violent and
hatefully aggressive bands ever to emerge from Sweden -- or anywhere
else in the world, for that matter. Their debut full-length album
_Impergium_, unleashed in September, is 26 minutes of total
adrenaline-pumping mayhem. Here are some of vocalist Henke's
thoughts.
CoC: What exactly is the name "Niden Div. 187" symbolic of? Is there
any specific meaning?
Henke: Well, it's like "187" is the American police term for murder,
and that's a lot of what we write about. We write about
murder, homicide, genocide, and suicides....whatever. The band
name is like a big reflection of our lyrics and the way we
think.
CoC: Yeah, but what about the Niden part?
Henke: No, that's just a name, like my name or your name. So that
part is going to be like erased from the name. Yeah, we're
going to take that out.
CoC: What made you guys bring Jonas Albrekston [bass player, also in
Thy Primordial] into the band?
Henke: We needed a bass player and a songwriter. We were a couple of
songs short for the _Impergium_ album, so we decided to take
Jonas in. Also, he's a great friend and a great bass player.
CoC: Besides ND187, what's been keeping you busy lately? I know
there's a new Dawn album coming out fairly soon.
Henke: Yeah, that's basically it. We don't do much. We don't rehearse
much with Dawn, because our drummer is working in Sunlight
Studio now, and one of the guitarists moved to Stockholm as
well...so we're kind of shattered right now. So I'm not doing
that much right now. I'm working, going to the gym and stuff
like that, working out.
CoC: The band is portrayed as so anti-political, anti-social,
anti-moral... I'm wondering, what personal values do you hold?
What things do you believe in, as far as morals are concerned?
Henke: Well, hmm...that's a hard question. Like you said, Niden is
not a political band at all. We loathe all kinds of politics
and morals, law, and such. Of course, we have to obey them so
we won't end up in jail. We get by everyday; we're really sick
of morals, laws, stuff like that. Sweden is a country where
you can live, but you can't really grow as a person.
CoC: What about society -don't- you mind? Do you see any positive
things about our world?
Henke: What's good about society? Ummm... well, uhh... society, like,
to fit into society, you have to be a normal person. People
into black metal and death ain't that normal. Yeah, we appear
like normal people [no comment -- Drew], but we have lots of
views and opinions that don't fit in. So, I don't think the
world, and Sweden, and Swedish society, and stuff like that --
it ain't too good. I wouldn't mind if it all blew away.
CoC: What other bands do you see as having the same outlook as Niden?
I mean, besides Zyklon-B...
Henke: Well, I don't know -- there aren't too many bands [like
Niden]. There's a Swedish band called In Battle; they're
really good. They have like lyrics and stuff that go in the
same vein as Niden. But they also have lyrics about
Scandinavian gods like Odin and stuff like that, and I don't
approve of that. I can't really say that In Battle is a band
like Niden and Zyklon-B. I don't think that lyrics about Odin
and stuff, they don't fit it.
CoC: What do you look for in music? Is it purely musical to you, or
do you care about ideology, if a band is, for example,
Christian, or maybe really pop sounding?
Henke: Yeah it's all music to me. That's why I don't -- I've always
had a problem writing lyrics in the past, because I'm oriented
towards the music. I always thought that lyrics came in second
place. That's why it always took so long for me to write
lyrics. My lyrics aren't just put together, if you know what I
mean. They all mean something to me. They all were special
when I wrote them, so that they aren't just some piece of
trash.
CoC: Niden's songs are so short and seemingly unstructured. How long
does it take the band to write the songs?
Henke: We took two weeks to write and record the _Impergium_ album.
We're going to record a new album in December I think. It's
going to be kind of hard when the drummer is up at Sunlight
Studio. We have to fix it somehow.
CoC: Will it be in the same general style as _Impergium_?
Henke: Yeah, more harsh...faster.
CoC: It would be kind of hard to be any faster than _Impergium_,
wouldn't you say? Without using a drum machine, that is.
Henke: Oh, it can -sound- faster; it doesn't have to be faster. We
had a lot of problems when we mixed the album, because it
doesn't sound as fast as it is. It could sound a lot faster
though if it weren't.
CoC: Is Necropolis a good label for you? Don't you think they have
too many bands?
Henke: Yeah, they have a bit too many bands. But since Niden is only
a side-project band, we think Necropolis is a really good
label for that type of band. [Dawn is on Necropolis too --
Drew.] They do a lot of promotion and stuff like that, so
that's good. We don't care about money and stuff like that,
because if we did, we wouldn't be on Necropolis. <laughs> No
offense to Necropolis, but you don't see a lot of money, which
we don't care about anyway. You know, we could make like a big
legal thing out of all this, and get a lot of money, but who
cares?
CoC: Do you really care if anyone likes the album, or is it strictly
personal to you? Is it just an outlet?
Henke: We like the music we make, since we always do black metal, and
we think "Why should we be the only ones liking this music?"
And we probably aren't [definitely aren't -- Drew]. We hope
that other people like it. It's cool, you know, hearing people
talk about us and stuff like that. That's a great response.
CoC: How have the responses to _Impergium_ been so far?
Henke: I haven't seen that much, except for when we released _Towards
Judgment_. Terrorizer thought it was really good. I don't
know, we don't get a lot of those reviews sent to us,
unfortunately. I think Necropolis is working on that as well.
CoC: So what bands are you currently into?
Henke: I don't know, In Battle is a great band. I don't listen much
to black metal anymore. I've grown sick of it. I listen to a
lot of alternative music like Tool, bands that can express a
lot of anger, even though they don't play angry music. I don't
like bands like Biohazard who are really angry; that's not
cool at all. They express it so graphically. They're just
trying to be hard, like big and muscular. But a band like
Tool, they hide their anger in their lyrics, makes you figure
out what they want. And they seem kind of hateful to me.
CoC: What do you think of all the trends going on? First it was just
black metal, now there are trends popping up within the genre
itself. What's your take on this?
Henke: <laughs> Like, what kind of bands would want to play music
that was popular like ten years ago? I don't understand that,
bands playing like Venom and stuff like that. Of course, there
are bands that are kind of cool, like Gehennah, but playing
music that was made in the early 80s? That's not cool. Not for
me.
CoC: Yep, I thought one of the goals of music was to progress and
move forward, not to go back and rehash the same old thing.
Henke: Exactly.
CoC: What do you think of bands that just totally switch gears and
change styles ? For example, Entombed.
Henke: I hate Entombed, actually. I can't stand their kind of
rock'n'roll attitude. They went from like really hard death
metal guys, really cool music, and they released the
_Clandestine_ album, and from there it went downhill.
_Clandestine_ sucked. The the following album [_Wolverine
Blues_] sucked. I saw them this summer at a festival in
Denmark, and it sucked.
CoC: How about bands like Emperor, who start off very obscure and
"true", and now they're making videos and are on labels like
Century Media, are breaking the top 10 in certain countries,
etc. Is that a -good- thing in your view?
Henke: Yeah, that's a good thing. They can't really help it: they're
great, excellent musicians. The new album really kills.
Actually, I think they progressed in the wrong type of way
from the _In the Nightside Eclipse_ album. _ItNE_ was really
Emperor -- lots of double bass, the vocals were more tormented
-- and now it's more grind, there's more screams and stuff
like that. I think Emperor is a great band, but they
progressed kind of wrong.
CoC: I think that's about it. Was there anything else you wanted to
talk about or mention at all?
Henke: I think it's been a great interview. It's not often you get
interviews that are really thought through. Most of the time
you get interviews that really suck. Great interviews are
really rare, so that's cool.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
_____ .__ ___.
/ _ \ | |\_ |__ __ __ _____
/ /_\ \| | | __ \| | \/ \
/ | \ |_| \_\ \ | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____/___ /____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/
_____ .__
/ _ \ _________.__.| | __ __ _____
/ /_\ \ / ___< | || | | | \/ \
/ | \\___ \ \___ || |_| | / Y Y \
\____|__ /____ >/ ____||____/____/|__|_| /
\/ \/ \/ \/
Scoring: 10 out of 10 -- A masterpiece indeed
9 out of 10 -- Highly recommended
7 out of 10 -- Has some redeeming qualities
5 out of 10 -- You are treading in dangerous waters
3 out of 10 -- Nothing here worth looking into
0 out of 10 -- An atrocious album, avoid at all costs!
Algaion - _General Enmity_ (Wounded Love, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (6 out of 10)
Wow... what a total change. Gone are the days of the Algaion we once
knew, the one that put together high-speed forays into melodic yet
still somewhat atypical black metal. Instead, on _General Enmity_,
the band, led by Marten Bjorkman and Mathias Kamijo, take a turn
towards power metal, with a lot of doomy influences, and some plain
metal parts. _GE_ is the definition of a hit and miss album. Melodic,
energetic tracks like "No Will Without Fire", "Indifference Beyond
Misanthropy", and "The Angel of Decease" are excellent, and show the
developments towards power metal that Algaion has taken. But other
songs such as "Mangod Hold the Sceptre" and the title track really
don't do much except hang around, seemingly without direction and
purpose. One of the main caveats of the album are the vocals: to be
blunt, they -suck-. Totally emotionless, hollow screaming / talking /
shouting (it sounds like there's some overdubbing), the vocal work is
monotone and just sounds detached and uninterested. Another drawback
has to be the riffing. At times slicing away through quick riffs with
ease and vigor, they all too often fall into generic crunch-riffing
and, I suppose, "doom influenced" riffs; you know, the ones where
they hit a note and let the distortion go for a few seconds, play a
nother note, on and on, etc. Boring. Whatever you do, don't get
_General Enmity _ expecting to hear a melodic black metal
tour-de-force, as there is little to no black metal to be found on
this disc. While I guess it's honorable that Algaion took a leap
outside the norm and did their own thing, it would've been a lot more
enjoyable to listen to if it had been more concentrated and better
developed.
Alien Faktor - _Arterial Spray... and Cattle Mutilations_
by: Andrew Lewandowski (7 out of 10) (Decibel, 1997)
Although Alien Faktor expose the listener to a harshly disturbing
jaunt through the abysses which separate one synapse from another in
a mind tormented by neurosis and psychosis, they lack the essential
ability to differentiate innovations from passe notions. Each aspect
of _Arterial Spray..._ which develops the band's somewhat unique
vision (actually, the uninitiated observer can deem this a mere
hybrid of GGFH's sociopathic dementia and the frenzied hallucinations
of a Skinny Puppy, but that's neither here nor there...) is partially
negated by the three most repugnant, and all too obtrusive,
stereotypes of the "electronic body music" (aka "industrial dance")
sub-genre. Can't they alter the distortion effect on the vocals so
that they don't sound like Phil Anselmo? Also, has a sample which
contains either "motherfucker" or references to the occult ever
actually offended anyone? Personally, the frequent samples only
distracted me, especially during the more sedate tracks which might
otherwise invoke a trance state. And finally: why oh why must they
use guitars? Granted, they create a bludgeoning effect, yet they also
consume the complexities and dark ambience which are Alien Faktor's
main selling points. Their prosaic cover of "Love Under Will"
provides a palpable manifestation of the half-assed nature of this
entire album: if you plan on covering a song by one of the more
revolutionary of rock bands (the Fields of the Nephilim), why not
strive for an equally imaginative cover? If you're going to compose
horrifying music, why add superfluities which only confound this
emotional state?
Anorexia Nervosa - _Exile_ (Season of Mist, September 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (9 out of 10)
Distressing amnios, discordant effects of suicides, some miracles of
entrails... This is one interesting and punishing recording. Its 51
lightless minutes comprise 13 tracks; each track belongs to one of
three "cycles"; plus, each track is internally divided into both
"sequence" (grim, metal-industrial battery) and "action" (subtle
ambient psywarfare). The music allies metal's destructive gunnery
with industrial's tactical agility, yet without succumbing to either
genre's cliches. (No riff-mongering; no inarticulate grunting or
over-processed vox; no tiresome sampling; no rhythmic monotony.)
Especially noteworthy are the highly expressive and imaginative
vocals, which ceaselessly vacillate between utter dejection and
ironfisted aggression. The songs themselves waver likewise, lashing
out murderously one second and begging for mercy the next, never
gaining balance long enough to become predictable, expiring
unexpectedly and leaving only insidious ambient traces behind. The
ambient passages are nicely done -- never grandiose, always subtly
creepy, and the more so the more closely you listen. Highly uncanny
structures, unrelentingly dark tones, anguished vocalizations, weird
repetitions... Everything reinforces the impression of a psyche in
thrall to its own inescapable degradation and fragmentation. Potent,
unsettling stuff. Accessible? Not especially. Excellent? Yes.
Bloodthorn - _In the Shadow of Your Black Wings_
by: Steve Hoeltzel (7 out of 10) (Season of Mist, September 1997)
When you put this CD into your player, the display will read "66
60.13". Ah, the many uses of technology. The disk contains seven
lengthy songs of fairly laid-back, doomy metal performed in a very
blackened-sounding way. I must admit, I prefer the sounds of explicit
outrage and defiance to these doomier tones of dejection and
resignation. Still, there's some well done material here. In
particular, "Breeding the Evil Inside" is an excellent song, thanks
mainly to its compelling and unpredictable shifts: from Gehenna-like,
mid-paced toe-tapper, to icy Burzum-esque drones of melody, to
gorgeous piano and female vocals, to majestic crunching riffs. Opener
"Embodied Core of Darkness" is catchy and melodically memorable, and
track 66, "With a Bloodstained Axe", increases the level of violence
a bit, quaking with bilious angst and going out in a blast of speed.
Were the entire album as strong as these three songs, I'd surely have
rated it a bit higher. As it is, though, the record is burdened by an
excess of comparatively flat material: slow to mid-paced songs which
definitely contain some nice moments, but little interesting
development and few strong melodic hooks. Not that this is bad by any
means. All in all, it's a solid debut effort, with a refreshingly
non-trendy, honest metallic feel.
Cenotaph - _Epic Rites_ (Oz Productions, May 1996)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
This band truly amazes me. This was one of last year's best albums.
_Epic Rites_ has an excellent, crunchy production and songs similar,
in type and quality, to the Gothenburg greats (you know them by now).
Cenotaph, however, have a lot more to offer than just rip-offs of
their favourite bands. It's hard for me to break down what I like
about the music on this album (and believe me I've tried), but the
central brilliance is the honesty with which it is played: here you
have a band who really LOVE their music, and their passion gives the
songs incredible depth and resonance. If pushed, I would say three
distinct things stand out of Cenotaph's musical arrangements: 1) The
catchy yet heavy choruses and repeated song sections, 2) the double
bass drumming which is used sparingly but to great effect, 3) the
dynamic changes within songs. This last factor will make you grin and
play air guitar during nearly every song: you'll be listening to a
quiet brooding arpeggio, something will be spoken softly, and
suddenly you are greeted with a full on sound and an incredible riff.
This happens on "Crying Frost", and the effect is mirrored on various
songs on the album. This album proves that you don't have to be from
Sweden to play this music and play it masterfully.
Contact: X-Rated Records, c/o Mathias Kietzmann
Apdo. Postal 1-2023, Cuernavaca, Mor., C.P.62001, Mexico
Voice/Fax: +52-73-17 44 68
mailto:xrr@mpsnet.com.mx
WWW: http://members.tripod.com/~xrr/index.html
Send $14+$2, for P+P, for a copy of this album
Centinex - _Reflections_ (Diehard, February 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz (7 out of 10)
I find albums like this very hard to review. In general, a band
sticking to their "roots" is a good and commendable thing. Centinex,
however, seem unable to modify this to a degree where it sounds
fresh. Dismember have proved only recently that you -can- play old
death metal and have it sound fresh. Centinex, on the other hand, are
still essentially playing the music of four years ago. _Reflections_
is not a bad little album, though. Centinex do have an amazing
drummer, and some of the double bass rhythms and breaks are
spine-tinglingly well played. The guitars can be tedious and play too
many high note chords, only rarely (such as on "The Dimension
Beyond") playing on the deeper power chords. They do, however, write
good leads, which adds a fuller feel to their songs. If there is a
central problem, it is the forced, mechanical feel; the band are
almost -too- tight. However, if tightness is what you need to pull
off drum breaks like the one on "In Pain", then it can certainly be
tolerated. If they loosen up in the future, Centinex could, I think,
write some excellent music.
Dissection - _The Past Is Alive (Early Mischief)_
by: Drew Schinzel (6.5 out of 10) (Necropolis, Oct. 1997)
Knowing that most re-released "demos on CD" albums are nothing too
special, I received _The Past is Alive_ with restrained enthusiasm.
Sure, it's the "new" Dissection, but how much listening value do all
of these official demo releases really have? The answer is not a
whole hell of a lot. Although the material on _TPIA _ has marginally
better production than other demos (though still nothing great), the
fact remains that you've heard practically all of this material
before, and in the way the band meant for you to hear it. Why listen
to a demo version of the awesome "In the Cold Winds of Nowhere" from
1992 with tinny production and rough playing, when you can hear the
spectacular version on the timeless _The Somberlain_ in all of its
glory? Probably the only material on _TPIA_ that no one's ever heard
before are the two songs courtesy of the pre-Dissection band so
cleverly named Satanized, but the sound on these tracks is just
absolutely pathetic, rendering them virtually unlistenable anyway. Of
course, that's not to say that the album is particularly -bad-. The
majority of the material -is- of pretty good quality, but, once
again, when you've got the option of throwing on two such epic discs
as _The Somberlain_ and _Storm of the Light's Bane_, _The Past Is
Alive_ just doesn't cut it. Nostalgia trip or not, I'll take final,
polished versions of songs I already know any day.
Dominus - _Vol.Beat_ (Diehard, October 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz (9 out of 10)
Dominus have braved the great and treacherous rapid of musical change
and have emerged not only unscathed but also clutching the beast from
the deep which is their third album _Vol.Beat_. Although ultimately
an excellent slab of metal, Dominus are skirting very close to the
edge of sounding too light; still, as they say, nothing ventured
nothing gained. _Vol.Beat_ is basically heavy, distorted rock n' roll
with various 50's samples of middle Americans talking about rock n'
roll as "rhythm, a feeling" and "a feeling that emanates from the pit
of hell", backing up its rock'n'roll aspects. Take Entombed's classic
_Wolverine Blues_, which dazed and confused everyone four years ago,
take away more of the death and add even more of the roll and you
have Dominus' '97 take on the now sub-genre of death n' roll. Dominus
have gone further down that road, which Grope only recently got run
over on, of trying to add "groove" to their sound, and they have done
pretty well, striking the right balance between the death and the
roll, especially with respect to the vocals. Apart from rock'n'roll's
own Jabba the Hutt, Dominus have also paid homage to a more
traditional metal influence in the shape of the suspiciously _Seventh
Son..._ sounding riffs on "Swine For A While, Pigs For A Week".
_Vol.Beat_ is coming your way, and as Vasquez (Aliens) would say:
"LET'S ROCK!!!!!".
Various - _Earache Unplugged 2_ (Earache, October 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
I see no reason to say anything other than that this is a great
compilation assembled by Earache. The title says this CD is where the
"New School meets The Old School," and it does. This 15-track CD
contains material from older Earache acts like At The Gates,
Entombed, Napalm Death, and Pitchshifter, along with newer label acts
like The Haunted (ex-At The Gates and Seance members), Iron Monkey,
and Misery Loves Co. While the material from the 'old school' bands
is somewhat newer (e.g., Napalm Death contributes "Breed To Breathe"
off of the last LP, _Inside The Torn Apart_, and Pitchshifter
includes "Underachiever" off of 1996's _Infotainment?_), it is the
'new school' songs that peak one's interest. If you want to hear some
good stuff, witness the intensity and Slayer-like feel of The
Haunted's track "Undead", the absurdly weird techno contribution by
Ultraviolence, and the interesting song "Hippy Fascist" by Pulkas. If
you like or have liked Earache (before they got rid of most of their
metal acts) and want to sample some of their newly signed acts, scoop
this up. And to boot, the CD is selling for the price of a CD single.
Wow! Now that's a deal.
Edge Of Sanity - _Cryptic_ (Black Mark, November 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
Woah!! Holy shit! I thought Edge of Sanity was doomed when mastermind
Dan Swano left the band to pursue his solo career, but I was wrong.
_Cryptic_, which features the debut appearance of new singer Robert
Karlsson , is one hell of a record. Built on speed, anger, and pure
unadulterated brutality, _Cryptic_ kicks it into gear from the
blistering opener "Hell Written" and rarely loosens its grip on the
listener's throat. The eight new songs deliver some extremely
powerful music, and I'm very happy that this ain't a dud. So how has
the band changed following the departure of Swano? Well, the music
has lost much of its melody (as Swano fancied that sound) and is now
a frenzied assault of riffs and growls reminiscent of older EoS
material such as _The Spectral Sorrows_ or _Purgatory Afterglow_.
Maybe a change was needed for EoS to get back into a heavier groove;
Swano openly stated in many interviews that he was losing interest in
EoS and wanted out. I'm giving "props" to both the new singer, Robert
Karlsson, for doing a killer job on vocals and to the rest of EoS for
continuing the life of a band whom many regard as innovators of both
metal and extreme metal music. I'm pretty sure fans of older EoS will
easily latch onto this; _Cryptic_ is a little bit simpler than past
EoS works, but twice as heavy. Note: Watch for a possible first time
ever U.S. tour for EoS in early 1998.
Epoch of Unlight - _Black and Crimson Glory_ (Y.F.L.H.D., 1997)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8.5 out of 10)
Three tracks of unrelenting excellence from a band with a
razor-sharp, energetic, and distinctive sound. Labels like "black
death" come to mind here, but such grab-all terms definitely don't do
justice to the originality and musicality which abound on this MCD.
Early Morbid Angel provides a good point of reference -- not because
Epoch of Unlight sound especially Angelic, but because they
demonstrate the same winning combination of intelligence, technical
prowess, and crafty creativity. The riffs are not bludgeons but
scalpels: blackish, perhaps, but with sharper edges and more melodic
definition. (Check out the great riffs in the brilliant "Silver
Mistress", and you'll see what I mean.) The memorable songs all have
lively structures with plenty of engaging changes and bouts of
blasting speed -- top notch drumming, too. Vocals are done in a
blackened style, frequently shifting from snarls to more anguished
barks as wild barbarian yarns are spun atop the serpentine strings.
The production is great as well. More importantly, though, the band's
overall sound is very much their own: cutting, barbed, swift METAL,
bristling with electrified spikes. Killer work, highly recommended.
Contact: EPOCH OF UNLIGHT, 3125 South Mendenhall
Memphis, TN, 38115-2808, USA
mailto:tlosicco@cc.memphis.edu
WWW: http://www.people.memphis.edu/~tlosicco/EOU.htm
Forbidden Site - _Sturm und Drang_ (Solistitium, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (7 out of 10)
This band is just in it for the chicks. In fact, Forbidden Site is
France's equivalent of Cradle of Filth, but these Frenchmen delve far
deeper into erotic realms than those stodgy Brits ever could. Love
and anguish combat in Forbidden Site's utterly melodramatic version
of black metal; introspective moments of tranquillity, sensuously
prolonged riffs, and operatic wails (a hybrid of Tom G. Warrior on
"Mesmerized" and Pavarotti on an aphrodisiac) are subverted by
descents into the depravity of breakneck, yet never diverging from
the romantic melodies of the doomier moments, black metal. Lead
singer Romarik d'Arvycendres even totes out his acoustic guitar on
"Evanescensce" and piano on "Renaissance Noire" to support his gothic
crooning without the cumbersome aid of guitars or drums. Actually,
"Renaissance Noire" is the best forum for Forbidden Site's aesthetic,
and when a black metal disc's best moment arrives in the form of an
instrumental, you can rest assured that this is no great metal album.
While the combination of beautiful females whispering in French and
prolonged foreplay which attains a violent climax may equal good sex,
it only produces repulsively pretentious music: a horribly conceived,
yet, nevertheless, surprisingly well executed album -- but not well
enough.
Frederik Thordendal's Special Defects - _Sol Niger Within_
by: Brian Meloon (9 out of 10) (UAE, 1997)
This was about what I was hoping it would be: a very unique, heavy,
technical, and strange disc. For those of you who don't know,
Thordendal is the lead guitarist from Meshuggah. He wrote, produced,
engineered, played bass, guitar, synths, and sang on this album. The
remainder of the instruments were played by guest musicians,
including Mats Oberg (synth, church organ) and Morgan Agren (drums).
Most of the vocals are shouted and distorted, sounding very
industrial, but there are some spoken and screamed parts as well. The
music is a mix of industrial, Meshuggah-like metal, and jazz fusion,
and it changes frequently. As usual, Thordendal comes up with some
nice polyrhythmic ideas, but he beats them to death at times, making
it a little tedious. The disc contains only one forty-three minute
song, which is indexed into 29 pieces so that you can skip ahead in
the track (if your CD player has that feature). The first half of the
album flows very well, with virtually no real breaks in the music,
but the second half seems to lose focus and direction, and seems
almost thrown together at times. In particular, the two church organ
pieces, the 4+ minute "Cosmic Vagina Dentata Organ" and "Magickal
Theatre .33." (which reminds me of the guy from Cradle of Filth
playing with winter gloves on) seem out of place and unnecessary.
Another unfortunate thing about this disc is that while the style is
original in a metal format, Thordendal's guitar solos at times (e.g.
"Z1-Reticuli") sound way too much like Allan Holdsworth. In all, I
think this is an excellent album, breaking new ground in the metal
genre, and highly recommended to those with an adventurous spirit. An
edited version of this album, featuring the most metallic parts and
lasting for about six minutes, is scheduled for release on Nuclear
Blast.
Hazard - _Lech_ (Malignant Records, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)
Benny Nilsen has departed from the ambient industrial sound which he
cultivated under the Morthound (one of the early Cold Meat Industry
bands) moniker and begun exploring more hallucinatory and stark
terrain under the title of Hazard. On _Lech_, Nilsen distances
himself from the homogenized mass of "isolationist ambient" purveyors
by augmenting the typical menagerie of morose drones and waves with
more tangible sounds, such as vocal fragments, organ notes, and even
a pseudo-Egyptian melody on one track. _Lech_ is also structurally
dynamic, although this sometimes results in an awkward segue from one
sonic pattern to the next and a few superfluous and anomalous sounds.
Despite a few incongruous or bland moments -- as should be expected
from an album of this minimal nature -- Nilsen has created a
soundscape which contains more than enough variety and forward
movement to enthrall the listener.
Hexenhaus - _Dejavoodoo_ (Black Mark, 1997)
by: Brian Meloon (8 out of 10)
Hexenhaus return with a new offering, picking up pretty much right
where they left off with their _Awakening_ release (1991). For those
who aren't familiar with them, Hexenhaus play a pretty technical
brand of standard progmetal, with the usual melodic vocal stylings
and punchy guitars. They've updated their style somewhat, but there
are still a lot of similarities with their late-80s incarnation.
Their music is heavier than most "progressive metal" these days, as
well as being more technical (in the acrobatic sense). They have some
nice rhythmic ideas including some off-time parts, as well as some
Cacophony-like lead guitar dueling and harmonizing. The playing is
good, with an especially impressive performance by guitarist Mike
Wead (Abstrakt Algebra, Memento Mori), and solid, precise drumming.
There are seven songs, of which only "From the Cradle to the Grave"
(a slow, spooky sounding piece) drags. It's one of the few pieces
which use keyboards, as they typically go for a more stripped-down,
simpler approach. The production is clean and appropriate for their
style. Overall, this is a pretty solid offering, and should appeal to
those searching for something more aggressive than the usual wimpy
stuff that's passed off as "progressive" these days.
Horna - _Hiidentorni_ (Solistitium, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (3 out of 10)
What have we got here? Whoa Satan, it's a mediocre black metal disc!
After listening to the whole album, I wanted more and I couldn't get
enough! I wanted more riffs repeated over and over and over again
until they lost all of their meaning! That "variety" concept has been
beaten to death, why not completely avoid the trend? Anyway, isn't
the whole point of black metal to invoke suicidal thoughts, and
doesn't mindless repetition accomplish this better than anything
else? And dude, listen to those vocals! Damn, those are grim, barely
perceptible, and damned annoying all at the same time! I'd like to
see a "good" band succeed at that mix! And don't fucking rap and
techno bands try to suck a good drum sound from their production?
Fuck black music! Hell, why not provide the antithesis: a tin can
collision? In summation: this is avoidable.
Hypocrisy - _The Final Chapter_ (Nuclear Blast, October 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo (9 out of 10)
Will this be Hypocrisy's final chapter? The information about the end
of Hypocrisy has been contradictory, and I remain unsure whether
Hypocrisy's mastermind, Peter Tagtgren, will indeed dedicate his time
to other projects, thus leaving Hypocrisy, or not. Anyway, for the
time being, at least Hypocrisy have released another great album,
good enough to rival the ground-shaking _Abducted_. _The Final
Chapter_ shows a lot of diversity: Tagtgren's voice changes from
track to track, ranging from deep death vox to _Abducted_-like
screams to some clean vocals, and the pace changes accordingly. Some
tracks remind me of _Abducted_ (as one would expect), while some
others subtly bring new elements to their sound, such as an increase
of doom influences. (And Hypocrisy seem to know that doom influences
go -far- beyond the mediocrity of simply slowing down the riffs, as
some careful listeners may notice.) The assortment of styles in _TFC_
just won't let you get bored for an instant in this nearly 55 minute
long work. While none of the tracks stand out as being as great as my
favourite from _Abducted_, the ripping "Killing Art", most of _TFC_
is at least as good as their previous album, and often even better --
only a couple of tracks aren't so brilliant (especially "Evil
Invaders", which wasn't written by Hypocrisy). Featuring another
absolutely polished and powerful production by Tagtgren, _The Final
Chapter_ is, in almost every way, the kind of follow-up to _Abducted_
I wanted it to be.
Split CD:
Insatanity - _Vengeance from Beyond the Grave_ (8 out of 10)
Immortal Suffering - _Images of Horror_ (6 out of 10)
by: Steve Hoeltzel (Mortal Coil Records, 1997)
INSATANITY: Solid, Suffocation-styled death metal with emphasis on
dark, twisting structures and twitch-of-the-death-nerve rhythms.
These six tracks have definitely prompted to me to look upon the
band's debut release (_Divine Decomposition_) with renewed respect. I
think the new material is a bit let down by slightly watery
production, but it's no big calamity -- the sound could be stronger,
but it still comes across well. Anyway, the songs are damn heavy and
boast challenging structures: in order to grasp the threads that bind
together the countless stomping, charging, flailing sections, you
have to really pay attention. The hooks are buried deep -- but bite
down hard, oh subterranean swimmer, and you shall taste many a
razor-sharp steel barb. And dig the surprise bursts of ripping black
metal! Great stuff.
IMMORTAL SUFFERING: These guys also play songs containing tons of
different parts and frequent shifts in speed. They're heavy, and of
course they occasionally sound quite "sick", but their songs often
seem like essentially random collections of parts: clomp, blast,
thud, clomp, ding... next song, blast, clomp, ding, thud, thud... and
so on. Not that these guys suck; they're just not bringing much
musical flair to the style -- yet. The last two songs definitely
demonstrate some real rip-it-up potential, so hopefully they'll keep
getting stronger. NOTE: All the graphics for this CD were put
together on a Mac. Total trueness!
Malignant Eternal - _Far Beneath the Sun_
by: Steve Hoeltzel (8 out of 10) (Napalm Records, October 1997)
Part of me would really like to heap scorn all over this record,
since it's yet another milestone in the inevitable but heart-breaking
de-clawing of black metal. Another polished, easy-access slab of
slick, smooth metal, cloaked in prudently laundered black raiment: a
gorgeous robe, crafted of the pelts of wolves -- but beneath it is no
emperor, and wolves had to die in its making. Honestly: I think this
"light" style of black metal is utterly weak when compared to the
(ahem) true purveyors of the style: Abigor, Behemoth, Darkthrone,
ULVER, Morgul, Mayhem, Isvind, Diaboli... But I'm not sure Malignant
Eternal ever asked to be compared to those bands, and on a strictly
musical level, this is a very strong release. Perhaps it will not be
very pleasing to other crusty SOBs like me, who like their metal best
when it's fresh from the teats of the goat. But if you enjoy the
likes of Old Man's Child or the newer Dimmu Borgir, this band may
well blow you away. The riff blast that opens "Daemon Song"...
damn... much as I'd like to slag it -- turned up loud, it's very
powerful stuff. (Why they chose the corny "The Reaper" to open the
album instead of this song, I have no idea.) Malignant Eternal have
more musical substance than more "pop"-structured stuff like the new
Dimmu Borgir: most songs incorporate interesting breaks into
unexpected passages, sharp shifts in timing, etc. The title track
features cool sudden stops, especially toward the finish, where the
song halts, cracks up, then crystallizes: torrent, trickle, icicle.
And the final song, "Glory", is done with real musical flair. There's
some imaginative, spacey synth work, too. I could go on saying nice
things, but the point is that of the "light" black metal releases
I've heard, this is probably the best in terms of overall musicality
and quality production. At any rate, it ranks up there with the first
Old Man's Child record, an articulate and atmospheric METAL album
which preceded the current trend. This, too, is articulate and
atmospheric, with great performances and a gleaming, multi-layered
sound. It's not the most "Malignant" thing I've ever heard, by far,
but this has quality that can't be denied.
Mayhem - _Wolf's Lair Abyss_ (Misanthropy, Halloween 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (10 out of 10)
At first glance, this new incarnation of Mayhem appears to be a
completely new beast, yet the remaining members of Mayhem have
discarded none of the metaphysical qualities which abounded from
their music before the death of Euronymous. The Mayhem aesthetic has
diverged from the internalized sorrow and loathing manifested in the
searing repetition and stark melodies of _De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas_;
on _Wolf's Lair Abyss_, this misanthropy has reverted back into the
primal rage of _Deathcrush_ or _Pure Fucking Armageddon_. Unholy
violence once again seeps from the music, for Mayhem not only
perpetuates the intensity of, for example, "Buried By Time and Dust"
through an entire mini-CD, but also has adopted a wall of sound
approach. Thus, each track now mercilessly bludgeons the listener as
an interminable procession of morose, yet brutal, riffs and
Hellhammer's demonic percussion lacerate the feeble soul. Also,
Euronymous' replacement, Blasphemer, arguably exceeds the
compositional skill of his predecessor: Blashphemer effectively
invokes an equally wide range of moods in each track as Euronymous
did on an entire album. No black metal band (with the possible
exception of Burzum) ever captured the tormented melancholy of
Mayhem's previous material, thus the return of Mayhem to its most
infernal form should be exalted (so much so, in fact, that I will
neglect to mention the album's foibles, such as the sometimes
ludicrous, sometimes haunting vocalizations of Maniac and the rushed
production which causes distortion in Hellhammer's cymbal work).
Misanthrope - _Visionnaire_ (Holy Records, September 1997)
by: Pedro Azevedo (8 out of 10)
Since it is produced by Fredrik Nordstrom at the Fredman Studio in
Gothenburg, Sweden, and features guest work from vocalist Anders
Friden and guitarist Jesper Stromblad (both from In Flames) on two
tracks, _Visionnaire_ does have a Gothenburg feel to it despite the
fact that Misanthrope is French. _Visionnaire_ is also somewhat
similar to Dark Tranquillity, but, ultimately, it's the mix of all
these Swedish influences with Misanthrope's very own sound that makes
this album what it is -- out of the ordinary, and with a lot of
creativity and musical flair. Weighing in at nearly 64 minutes,
_Visionnaire_ seems to make a point out of surprising the listener
every once in a while, through sudden (and extreme) changes of pace
or style. I like this album best during the fastest parts -- blast
beat double-bass drumming and extremely fast, wild, yet melodic
keyboards while the guitars and bass hold on very well. But then
Misanthrope will go back to a slower melodic passage, chorus, doomy
sequence, instrumental part, or whatever might be next...
_Visionnaire_ never ceases to surprise you, and seldom does any of
this seem out of place. The vocals are similar to the Swedish metal
bands mentioned above; however, while half the tracks are sung in
French, the vocals sung in English sound like French as well...
_Visionnaire_ seems to break with at least some of Misanthrope's past
(of which I know little), and everything seems to have been well
planned and executed.
Misery Loves Co. - _Not Like Them_ (Earache, October 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
Like many of the releases I have reviewed in this issue, change is
apparent on the second effort from Swedish industrial metal purveyors
Misery Loves Co. While the band's self-titled debut was a detonating
blast of complex industrial tunes meshed with sinister riffs and
distorted vocals, _Not Like Them_ breaks away from the anger and
frustration of their debut; _NLT_ caters more to experimentation,
unique sounds, and melody. I've got mixed feelings about the second
effort. While, at times, I do miss the heaviness of the band's music,
-- though heaviness can be found on _NLT_ -- I must admit that
singer/programmer/guitarist Patrick Wiren's talent at sculpting songs
around melody and riffs is quite impressive. Even the use of acoustic
guitars on numerous tracks raised my brow. I do not hate this record,
though I do feel the band may have wanted me to believe that I would
be pummeled with heaviness on album number two, but the band lost me
once they shed their industrial/sample feel and went for a more
guitar-oriented sound. It's also a little soft at times. I'll be
okay, even though I am feeling a little cheated.
Nattvindens Grat - _Chaos Without Theory_ (Solistitium, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (6 out of 10)
I always do my best to avoid even looking at, let alone analyzing,
album and song titles, but Nattvindens Grat has committed consumer
fraud by entitling their album _Chaos Without Theory_. Although I
didn't frivolously consume any seconds of thought by deciphering a
theory within this foray into paganized NWOBHM, the album completely
lacks any semblance of "chaos". Actually, this is the least chaotic
metal album that I've heard in quite a while. (You might then ask
yourself, "Well, why is this being reviewed in _Chronicles of
Chaos_?" Damned if I know...) Since this fact needs a reiteration or
two: every aspect of this album, from the start and stop riffing
patterns to the verse-chorus-verse-chorus-guitar solo-chorus
structure, is perfectly linear. Isn't NG a group of deceptive little
bastards? Now that we all agree upon that fact, NG has produced a
competent simulacra of Paradise Lost's recent synthesis of
pseudo-goth and power metal. Although memorable melodies appear
throughout, the album eventually falters due to the overly buoyant
mood and limited vocal range of the singer. Personally, they also
need to inject some chaos into their music.
Niden Div. 187 - _Impergium_ (Necropolis, September 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (9 out of 10)
Once again, the musical embodiment of total violence and aggression
returns, in the form of Niden Div. 187. After proving with last
year's MCD _Towards Judgment_ that they were among the fiercest bands
on the planet, ND187 further entrench themselves with _Impergium_, a
26 minute bludgeoning of total fucking speed, hate, and yes, great
music. Usually we connect the description "hyperspeed nihilistic
black metal" with the phrase "unskilled, unstructured piece of shit
for music." Not so with ND187: with members of Dawn, A Canorous
Quintet, and Thy Primordial handling the reigns, this quartet
certainly is lacking neither in playing nor composing ability.
Indeed, what we get are ten tracks of some of the most extreme,
anti-trend, conflagrational whirlwinds of musical chaos that anyone
has ever heard. Niden Div. 187 is not music for meek ears; if you
thought that the riffing on the latest Dream Theater album was just
too harsh for your tastes, ND187 probably won't be up your alley. The
machine-gun sound of the drums, courtesy of our friend Morth,
combined with the razor-edged riffing of Leo Pignon and horribly
tortured vocals by Henke Forss, constitute an unyielding wall of
sound that begs for your attention. Unfortunately, as a result of the
similar structure of every song (read: total blast almost entire
album), things predictably get a little samey, though never boring.
However, this is never really a problem, considering the songs are
all in the one to four minute range. Besides which, the incisive,
scythe-like riffing and haunting samples (check out track eight,
"Hate") more than over shadow this slight detractor. Basically, if
crushing, ultra-fast blackened death metal is what you're after, the
vitriolic compositions of Niden Div. 187 should more than suffice.
Obtained Enslavement - _Witchcraft_ (Wounded Love, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (10 out of 10)
Before I get on to the meat of this review, let me just say that if I
sound a little -too- enthusiastic about this album, excuse me, but I
am still under the spell of Obtained Enslavement, as I have been ever
since the joyous day that this little disc of musical magnificence
appeared miraculously in my mailbox. The words to describe
_Witchcraft_ come one after another: atmospheric, grandiose,
orchestral, melodic, superb, devastating, symphonic... all of these
and more fit nicely in this situation, but mere words alone cannot
truly describe the complete near-perfection recorded therein.
Obtained Enslavement have created a fifty-one minute opus of totally
fantastic, atmospheric, layered black metal so lush with
instrumentation, melody, and orchestration as to almost leap beyond
the simple, constricting boundaries of "black metal" into a whole new
realm of musical experience. As with most similar bands, keyboards
play a huge part here, but as opposed to many bands of their ilk,
Obtained Enslavement never rely on a single type of sound from the
keyboard; instead, the sounds range from your typical black metal
whispy keys, to near full orchestra simulation, to piano, to baroque
harpsichord, to -- well, you get the picture. Speaking of piano, that
brings to mind the two keyboard instrumentals on _Witchcraft_, the
intro and outro. These go far beyond typical intros and outros,
however, and into complex works with personalities all their own, as
the intro is three and a half minutes, and the outro is five minutes
in duration. Showing OE's obvious musical training, the final piece
is reminiscent of Chopin's piano prelude works, though a bit longer.
Since OE are basically unknown even in black metal circles (even
though this is their second album), some comparison to other bands
may be helpful in this case, and I can't avoid comparing them to a
cohesive mixture of Arcturus, Dismal Euphony, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor,
Ulver, Limbonic Art and Satyricon, except _Witchcraft_ contains
elements far above and beyond even those eminent bands. Blazingly
fast drumming (though never too fast for its own good), melodic,
wandering guitars, perfect synth, excellent composition -- what the
hell else is needed? Though there have been a bunch of great ones
this year, I have to say that _Witchcraft_ gets my vote for black
metal album of the year, hands down.
Orphyx - _Fragmentation_ (Malignant Records, 1996)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (5.5 out of 10)
Upon reaching a fork in the road of industrial music, Orphyx has
decided to follow the non-option by meandering in between both
pathways. Yet the industrial gods have set a trap within this
non-path; thus Orphyx, who apparently wandered directly into this
discreet hazard, is now left dangling between two polar universes:
the hyper-realistic discordant clangs, rebellious shrieks, and
annihilated drones of Brighter Death Now (circa _The Slaughterhouse_)
and the "minimalist" (Lull, Inanna, etc.) attempt to lacerate reality
via poisoned air and shocking twists. In other words, this is a
menagerie of incongruities. Orphyx evade coherence by juxtaposing the
breakneck percussion of "Tanha" (the worst song on the album: the
percussion moves at such a quick pace that the beats congeal into a
singular mass of puerile popping sounds); the pulsating, rumbling
light noise of "Pathogenesis"; and the surprisingly dynamic minimal
ambiance of "Words Once Spoken", before a cataclysmic blast of noise,
akin to a sedated Masonna, inverts the previous foray into pure
ambiance. Orphyx strive toward coagulating such antagonistic
particles through the twelve tracks of _Fragmentation_, which creates
a fragmented vision and negates the possibility of sustaining any
emotional content throughout an entire track. The album is neither
here nor there, violent nor passive, dark nor light.
Overkill - _From The Underground And Below_ (CMC/BMG, 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
While I have been a fan of this veteran thrash metal outfit since the
early days (during _The Years Of Decay_ era), I will honestly admit
to not being fond of Overkill's newer material, with the possible
exception of 1993's cool _I Hear Black_ LP. That is why I was
surprised at how much I liked the band's latest record, _FtUaB_. This
record seems to have once again ignited the spark of this quintet by
adding a bit of life to a musical style which seemed to be growing
stale. While the music found here may not break entirely away from
the thrash sound which Overkill has given us over the years, the
music definitely has a 90s metallic influence (i.e. Machine Head,
Fear Factory) within the album, which has helped make this a more
pleasurable listen. New guitarists Sebastian Marino and Joe Comeau
help keep things fresh and singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth has never
sounded so angry and frayed. Overkill are still pumping it out and
improving as we head into the year 2000.
Pathos - _Hoverface_ (Black Mark, October 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (7 out of 10)
Fans of progressive metal acts like Nevermore, Iced Earth, or
Savatage will most likely be fascinated by the sounds and style of
Swedish metallers Pathos. The debut album by this quintet is full of
great riffs and a lot of creative songwriting. From start to finish,
_Hoverface_ glides with the greatest of ease and lets loose some
nifty guitar playing and strong vocal harmonies. Reminiscent of the
first Nevermore record and the heaviness of vintage Savatage,
_Hoverface_ explores a realm of music that so few can create while
sounding fresh and innovative. As those who follow this genre know,
many who attempt this style sound as though they are cloning the
genre's stereotypes -- this band does not. The key to the success of
this outing is singer Stephan Carlsson's great voice, which
compliments the music quite well. Also, I would be a fool to not
mention the exquisite guitar duties provided by both Lennart Specht
and Daniel Antonsson. What a great duo! A strong debut effort where
everything seems to click properly together.
Rotting Christ - _A Dead Poem_ (Century Media, October 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (8 out of 10)
I guess times and styles do change, for Rotting Christ sure have
changed; I never expected to hear catchy riffs and memorable melodies
coming from any Rotting Christ LP. Fans of the band who have been
following them from their brutally raw and dark debut full-length LP,
_Thy Mighty Contract_ (released in 1993 on Osmose) [or, for that
matter, _Passage to Arcturo_, which was released before _TMC_ --
ed.], know that Rotting Christ has always been about power, strength,
and an almost invincible quality which augments their music and
momentum. Even though the band's style (a blend of black, death, and
doom metal) has evolved over the years (as was fully chronicled on
1996's powerful _Triarchy Of Lost Lovers_ ), they still kept the raw
and masterful approach to their music intact. But all has changed
now. The band's latest LP, _A Dead Poem_, overflows with catchy parts
which inject a slight commercial feel into the album and, in the end,
cause it to lose a bit of that true underground feel that they always
radiated. While many may see these changes as a bad thing, it has
allowed the band to break away from the typical
black/death metal
sound they have been seen as and become more of an intriguing listen.
The music here is well orchestrated and masterfully crafted into a
strong package of material. Standout tracks include "Among Two
Storms", "Full Colour Is The Night", and "Out Of Spirits." If you are
into this band and can accept change, then pick this up. It's great.
Sacramentum - _The Coming Of Chaos_ (Century Media, September 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz, 8 tracks = (6 out of 10); 9th track = (4 out of 10)
This album's greatest achievement is its production: it remains clear
while retaining the brutality of the music. The production is the
only part, however, which is top class. The most accurate way to
describe the music would be: black metal with melody (e.g. Old Man's
Child) mixed with retro death/thrash (e.g. Swordmaster). This is not
one of those albums you can just classify, throw on a pile and leave,
though; Sacramentum have dug deeper into their musical soul than
that. Their combining of many different styles and sounds into a
single song is commendable and highlights their proficiency as
musicians. Though technically impressive, this fruit salad of riffs
doesn't lead to very good songs. The lack of variation in the vocals,
which change only to deliver brief speeches, doesn't compliment the
music at all. On the whole: some songs are good and some are boring;
none are awful, but similarly none are brilliant. A truly average
album then? It would be, but there is a twist to this tale. 9 tracks
/ 50 minutes, 8 tracks / 37 minutes. The last track is 13 minutes of
reverberated sound and "atmosphere", the result of severe
keyboard/sampler overindulgence. If you play this as an 8 track 37
minute album, it isn't half bad; if you have the stamina to listen to
all of it... then you get bored a lot less easily than I do.
Sadist - _Crust_ (Displeased, October 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz (2 out of 10)
I originally thought _Crust_ was "new and innovative" and that if I
expanded my mind I'd understand it. I realised that, in fact, it is
just crap. Sadist have "daringly" tried to mix the downtuned riffs of
the likes of Korn and Coal Chamber with gothic/darkwave keyboard
parts; an interesting idea, but a horrible reality. Like other bands'
new albums (Christ Agony, Sacramentum, Grope), _Crust_ also suffers
from appalling raspy vocals which are neither extreme nor good.
Tribal drumming on "Instinct" and slap bass work on "Fools and Dolts"
are the only standouts on what is basically a confused, incoherent
and plain idiotic sounding album. The band's claims of "sickness" are
not possible to verify without a lyric sheet, and besides, judging by
the made-to-offend song titles ("Perversion Lust Orgasm" and "I Rape
You"), they're only saying it for the publicity. Ignore Sadist. The
only sick thing here is that people wasted time and money recording
this.
Scar Tissue - _TMOTD_ (21st Circuitry Records, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (8 out of 10)
By ever so slightly expanding the established parameters of archaic
industrial music, Scar Tissue has created an occasionally pummeling
album. While _TMOTD_ stands in the same evolutionary position as the
ten to fifteen year old material of the likes of Memorandum or SPK,
the desolation of this album transcends the ferocity and emotional
depth of the ambiance generated by most of Scar Tissue's forefathers.
Beneath the traditionally monolithic and demonic rhythms lurk subtle
dissonance, deep drones, and fragmented voice samples which reiterate
the antagonism between human will and its subjugating forces of a
mechanistic persuasion. Unfortunately, the percussion on the first
three tracks veers into the realm of techno vapidity, and Scar Tissue
doesn't establish an equilibrium between techno and ambient until a
third of the way into the album. The tempo and tone of the percussion
rarely alter, thus an exorbitant amount of background sounds are
needed to imbue the music with its depth. After these first three
tracks, Scar Tissue catapult the industrialized techno genre into an
ambient realm of enigma and vitality populated only by Autechre.
Shub-Niggurath - _The Kinglike Celebration_
by: Paul Schwarz (5 out of 10) (Oz Productions, July 1997)
The first thing that needs to be said is that despite their name and
(slightly tacky) album title, Shub-Niggurath are not a "we recorded
it in our wardrobe" black metal band; there is more to their music
than just the "blasphemy" which they and their press release go on
about. This is not to say that Shub-Niggurath are lacking in the
blast beats and inaudible vocals department, but their delivery is
more calculated than a lot of the terrible bands who inhabit this
genre without any talent and a lot of old Bathory and Venom albums.
Tracks such as "Abomination of Ancient Gods" show that this band know
how to construct songs and not simply bore the listener with their
"extremity". Although all this puts Shub-Niggurath safely above the
bottom of the barrel, it still doesn't make them anything special.
There is nothing on _A Kinglike Celebration_ which is new and, unless
you have listened to extremely little good black/death metal, nothing
which will really impress you: there are a LOT of bands who play this
kind of music better, but as far as playing this kind of music goes
Shub-Niggurath don't do a terrible job.
Contact: X-Rated Records, c/o Mathias Kietzmann
Apdo. Postal 1-2023, Cuernavaca, Mor., C.P.62001, Mexico
Voice/Fax: +52-73-17 44 68
mailto:xrr@mpsnet.com.mx
WWW: http://members.tripod.com/~xrr/index.html
Send $14+$2, for P+P, for a copy of this album
Thy Grief - _The Frozen Tomb of Mankind_ (Solistitium, 1997)
by: Andrew Lewandowski (9 out of 10)
With each tormented melody and scream, Thy Grief evokes the entire
emotional spectrum of despair. No stone, oscillating from crippling
loneliness to pugnacious anger, is left untouched. Thy Grief also
uses every form of black metal as they reap the optimum amount of
emotion from each second: most of the songs are mid-paced and
emphasize technical skill (although they never ostentatiously flaunt
it) and blackened melodies, yet they also skillfully alternate
between arcane dirges and brutal frenzies. Thy Grief has also
discerned the equilibrium separating abuse and transience of each
riff and keyboard passage, a rarity for a novice band. Granted, they
have a few discernible similarities to their peers (for example, the
ending of "Da Morket Omfavnet Meg" sounds as if Thy Grief usurped it
from "I Am the Black Wizards"), and no track equals the grandiose,
Wagnerian fury of the opener, but this Norwegian quartet has the
potential to become one of the scene's best bands.
Transcendence - _Eternal Stream_ (Gaia Disk, January 1997)
by: Paul Schwarz (8 out of 10)
For me this is an unusual occurrence. Usually I don't like albums
with "nice" voices, not on principle, just by chance and personal
taste. In this respect, _Eternal Stream_, the first in an epic
trilogy, is special. To explain this band's musical direction,
however, is not as hard as the press release would suggest. They are
following similar lines to what music I have heard of other projects
also involving female vocalists (e.g. The 3rd and the Mortal, Storm
and The Gathering). There is a lot of very talented singing from
Sebrina Lipari, and also from male vocalist Philippe Coupal, and like
the above mentioned bands the singing meshes with the music and
doesn't sound forced. What is more surprising than the mixture of
keyboards, acoustics and female vocals is how "metal" Transcendence
are. On much of the album the guitars and drums contain themselves,
but then they burst out from the background to prove that
Transcendence can handle dynamics. "Pawn of Prophecy"'s solo sounds
like Iron Maiden, and the use of double bass drumming, which
punctuates many parts of the album, is both appropriate and
diversifying. This band push the tired gothic/folk metal sound just
that bit further, and the result is truly refreshing.
Turmoil - _Anchor_ (Century Media, October 1997)
by: Adrian Bromley (6 out of 10)
While I was ambivalent about the band's 1996 debut LP, _From Bleeding
Hands_, because of its monotonous hardcore meets metal sound,
_Anchor_ has aroused my interest. Sounding a lot heavier and more in
control of the music's groove and flow than its predecessor, _Anchor_
-- thanks in part to singer John Gula's more intense death/hardcore
vocals -- this Pennsylvania quintet kicks into gear from the opening
assault of "Staring Back". Striking blows come courtesy of Turmoil as
the band delivers fourteen rough 'n' raw numbers for us to mosh to.
But like their previous record -- and most other hardcore/metal LPs
-- it gets old after a while, and the listener loses interest as the
record carries on. I do not know why that is, but it always seems to
happen for me. Nonetheless, _Anchor_ is a good LP; not a CD I would
put on daily, but something I might crank to release some frustration
every once in a while.
Vergelmer - _Light the Black Flame_ (Cacophonous, 1997)
by: Drew Schinzel (8 out of 10)
Now that retro metal is and has been in full swing for some time,
it's nice to see a band that is following an -old- trend, for once.
No, Vergelmer don't deserve such sarcasm, because, although fitting
quite nicely into the melodic black metal mold, they do it
-extremely- well. If you've ever heard anything of this kind
(Dissection, some older Marduk, Naglfar, The Darksend, etc.), then
you know exactly what to expect. Mostly fast songs (although
Vergelmer have a few longer mid-paced sections as well) with
predominantly high-pitched, melodic guitars and throatily rasped
vocals dominate the material here, with some acoustic parts thrown in
for good measure. Myself being a huge fan of this style (an
understatement), I have a hard time finding much wrong with _Light
the Black Flame_; there're no real serious detractors that ruin the
pure listening enjoyment. However, there are a couple of things that
do dampen the experience a bit: for one, sometimes the songs are just
too damned long and repetitive. What starts off as a kick-ass track
quickly turns tedious when the same section is repeated over and
over, especially annoying with the mid-paced songs. Also, just as
mentioned before, _LtBF_ is completely and totally derivative of all
preceding it, there's not an original concept to be found here. No
surprises, no experimentation. Vergelmer give you what you expect,
and don't go much further. That said, if sharply produced,
well-played, melodic black metal is your craving, Verlgelmer is where
it's at.
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/\ \ \_____ __ /\ \ \___ (_)___ ___
/ \/ / _ \ \ /\ / / / \/ / _ \| / __|/ _ \
/ /\ / __/\ V V / / /\ / (_) | \__ \ __/
\_\ \/ \___| \_/\_/ \_\ \/ \___/|_|___/\___|
If you have a band, don't forget to send us your demo with a bio if
you want to be reviewed; our address is included in the zine's
header.
Scoring: ***** -- A flawless demo
**** -- Great piece of work
*** -- Good effort
** -- A major overhaul is in order
* -- A career change is advisable
Beauty - _Buried With the Sky_ (3-track demo)
by: Brian Meloon (****-)
Beauty's latest demo includes three more songs from the _Automatic
Killfest_ sessions, including two of my favorites, "Fragment" and
"Mute". As with their self-titled demo (see CoC #14), the music is
heavy industrial metal, with distorted, shouted vocals, plenty of
samples, and a dense, layered sound. These three tracks are a little
more straightforward than the three on their previous demo, although
the inclusion of female soprano vocals in "Fragment" is especially
unique and interesting, especially when contrasted with the blasting
industrial metal underneath. The drum programming is very good,
avoiding the simplistic, repetitive use of patterns that typifies
industrial. The song structures are a combination of radical shifts
in tempo and style (soft/loud, slow/fast, etc) and smooth development
sections, leaving you guessing as to what will come next. The playing
is good, though not flashy, and the production is excellent, though
everything is covered by a thick layer of (intentional) distortion.
This is another strong demo, and hopefully will attract serious label
attention.
Contact: BEAUTY, P.O. Box 316, Oakton, VA, 22124
mailto:beauty@his.com
WWW: http://www.his.com/beauty
Castigate - _Plectrum Loveless Method_ (5-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (***--)
Castigate have potential, and that potential can be heard lurking on
this demo, but it is only potential as yet. Castigate have tapped a
good sound and haven't made the mistake of limiting themselves. They
have incorporated acoustic instruments, female vocals, sound effects,
and a cacophony of bells. This is all well and good, but Castigate's
problem seems to be getting the songs structured right: the first
song sounds pasted together, and none of the elements really mix
satisfactorily. "Where's the potential, then?" you may ask. The
potential is on songs like "Sleepless Channels", where they get it
right, and in the choice of an outro: the strange sound of a laughing
baby.
Contact: Fadzil, Lot 243, KG.Kangkar Tebrau, 8110, Johor Bahru,
Johor, Malaysia
Send: $5 for a copy of this demo
Catarrh - _Nightflight_ (4-track demo)
by: Paul Schwarz (****_)
Catarrh create a dark, brooding mix of death, raw black, thrash and
doom, but also add in their own idiosyncratic twist in the form of a
strange sound which appears a number of times and in a number of
different forms. It sounds like feedback, panpipes, and screaming
mixed into one. Although sometimes hard on the ears, it works well in
setting Catarrh apart from the pack. The overall production and
especially the vocal production need work; both are a bit muddy and
take some potential impact from the music. With their production
straightened out, Catarrh could certainly be on the way to making a
name for themselves.
Contact: Fadzil, Lot 243, KG.Kangkar Tebrau, 8110, Johor Bahru,
Johor, Malaysia
Send: $5 for a copy of this demo
Cephalectomy - _Gateway To The Gods_ (3-track demo)
by: Adrian Bromley (***--)
I'm pleasantly surprised by this material from the young Nova Scotia
death metal/grind trio Cephalectomy. While the production on this
demo (their first one -- let's give them a break, eh?) is not really
that good, the three songs on the demo really do sound solid. This
well-written material flows with intensity and anger. Cephalectomy
keep things pretty straightforward and brutal, lashing out with a
multitude of styles and influences to be found (Brutal Truth,
Internal Bleeding, and Kataklysm, to name a few). The vocals are
vicious throughout, and guitarist Corey Andrews shreds some heavy
riffs. It's too bad the demo only has three songs, as they really do
show a lot of talent and are keeping me interested in what is to
come. I'm glad Cephalectomy submitted a demo to us here at CoC,
'cause it keeps me believing that metal does exist and is thriving in
Canada.
Contact: CEPHALECTOMY, mailto:cephalectomy@hotmail.com
Click. - _Live At The Thirsty Whale_ (20 tracks 'studio & live')
by: Adrian Bromley (*----)
Man... I knew this wasn't gonna be good when I heard the opening
words on this live demo: "Okay folks, we have a unique musical
presentation for you." Let's just say I wasn't looking forward to
what was around the bend. With a mixed bag of original and cover
songs, a really bad live recording and horrible editing, four-piece
rock'n'roll/metal outfit click. plow through their material with a
very lackluster performance. Most of the time, the vocals are
off-key, and the music is just plain mediocre. Nothing really stands
out. And I hate -- *HATE* -- when bands cover songs I like and
butcher them. Case in point: Alice In Chains' "We Die Young". They
even manage to throw in a few more covers: Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady"
and is that a Ratt cover (the song "Breaking Point")? This demo bites
big time, and that is sad, 'cause I really like live
recordings/bootlegs.
Contact: Abyss Records, c/o Anand Bhatt,
2 E. 8th St. #1903 Chicago, IL, USA, 60612
mailto:aabhatt@hotmail.com or mailto:schroda@aol.com
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/\ _`\ /\ \ /\ \__ __
\ \ \/\_\\ \ \___ __ ___\ \ ,_\/\_\ ___
\ \ \/_/_\ \ _ `\ /'__`\ / __`\ \ \/\/\ \ /'___\
\ \ \L\ \\ \ \ \ \/\ \L\.\_/\ \L\ \ \ \_\ \ \/\ \__/
\ \____/ \ \_\ \_\ \__/.\_\ \____/\ \__\\ \_\ \____\
\/___/ \/_/\/_/\/__/\/_/\/___/ \/__/ \/_/\/____/
____ __
/\ _`\ /\ \__
\ \ \/\_\ ___ ___ ___ __ _ __\ \ ,_\ ____
\ \ \/_/_ / __`\ /' _ `\ /'___\ /'__`\/\`'__\ \ \/ /',__\
\ \ \L\ \/\ \L\ \/\ \/\ \/\ \__//\ __/\ \ \/ \ \ \_/\__, `\
\ \____/\ \____/\ \_\ \_\ \____\ \____\\ \_\ \ \__\/\____/
\/___/ \/___/ \/_/\/_/\/____/\/____/ \/_/ \/__/\/___/
D A R K T I M E S , P A R T 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Therion, Crematory, Lake of Tears and Dark
CC Racing, Gavere, Belgium, October 3, 1997
by: Kurt Demeulemeester <kdm@club.innet.be>
A mixture of metal and gothic fans joined in Gavere for what was
expected to be one of the most important shows in this genre.
Obviously nobody wanted to miss any of the bands, because when Dark
kicked off the hall was already filled with 'dressed-in-black'
people. This was my first acquaintance with Dark's music, and the
band was a pleasant surprise: an excellent vocalist, sinister
atmosphere, and nice light show -- what else does a doom/goth crowd
need? We've seen worse opening acts before! The only drawback about
Dark is that the songs are all a bit similar; some more variation
would be more than welcome. Nevertheless, the band certainly deserves
its place in the scene.
After Dark's intensity, the live performance of Lake of Tears
was like a cold shower. As opposed to their decent album sound, the
band played a completely uninspired and pretty boring set without any
volume or enthusiasm. Some people might like their seventies look and
style, but for me it was a big disappointment. Better luck next
time...
To everyone's surprise, Crematory, and not Therion, hit the
stage as the night's third band. Crematory wants to expand their
immense popularity in Germany to the rest of the world, and they
surely did a good job here in Belgium. Their stage sound was perfect:
a heavy guitar sound carried by Katrin's atmospheric, impressive
keyboards mixed with Gerhard's deep grunts. It was a delight to see
how a band with such a history was still very down-to-earth. They
clearly enjoyed themselves on stage, and this enthusiasm was
reflected upon the audience. Most of the songs came from _Awake_,
their newest CD, which included the excellent Sisters of Mercy
classic "Temple of Love", but nothing will ever beat the two tracks
from their awesome first CD _Transmigration_. A great show for sure!
When Therion played in Belgium last year in support of Amorphis,
there were seven people on stage, including a tenor and a soprano,
and all orchestral arrangements were performed live as well as
possible. The choirs weren't always perfect, but the band kicked ass
-- it was an excellent night. Probably in order to cut down expenses,
front man and mastermind Christofer Johnson replaced the orchestra
with a DAT-tape, like many bands tend to do. As the band kicked off
with their traditional opener, "To Mega Therion", many people
immediately felt that something had changed dramatically: the band
members overacted like rock stars, and the sound was too perfect to
be real.
We saw the audience split itself in two groups: the ones who
really enjoyed the show (an excellent light show and perfect sound)
and the ones who hated the fake rock star bullshit... Check them out
and choose for yourselves which camp you are in. Anyway, Crematory
deserved the status of headliner.
D A R K T I M E S , P A R T 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Emperor, Bal-Sagoth, Nocturnal Breed and more
Jachthoorn, Outer, Belgium, October 4, 1997
by: Kurt Demeulemeester <kdm@club.innet.be>
At yesterday's Crematory show I ran into an old friend and got a
bit carried away, drank too much beer and suffered from a terrible
headache the day after... Thus I decided to skip the first three
bands on this black metal mini-festival (remorse always comes after
the sin). Nocturnal Breed was nothing more than a mundane black metal
band as they screeched their guts out and spat blood; not bad, but
nothing special either. The crowd stood and watched. But when
Bal-Sagoth hit the stage, the black hordes, fed by Byron Roberts'
exciting stage persona, started to show some enthusiasm. Most songs,
especially during the fast technical parts, drowned in an incredible
swamp of noise (it was too loud to be clear), but, luckily, the band
is talented enough to overcome this. The climax of the show was
definitely the excellent "A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria".
What could I say about Emperor that hasn't been said before? The
band deserves the black metal throne without question as all songs
were performed perfectly despite their hyperblast speed. The sound
was perfect and the crowd went nuts while the band enjoyed this and
didn't need gimmicks like corpsepaint, blood, or between song
preaching. Emperor let their music speak for itself and showed us how
professional and concentrated they are on stage. This is what metal
(whatever flavor you like) is all about, and if you haven't seen this
awesome band before, go check 'em out. This was definitely one of the
best gigs of 1997.
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B I G R E D D E A T H F E S T I I
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nothing Lasts Forever, Funnel, Deuterenema,
Inner Shadows, The Urination, and Bloodshed
At the JAM Community Room
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, Oct. 25, 1997
by: Brian Meloon
As the name implies, this was the second deathfest to be held on
the campus of Cornell University in the past couple of years. This
one was held in the JAM (Just About Music) Program House community
room, which is a single room smaller than most bars, with no stage
and no special lighting, located on the ground floor of a dorm.
Admission was free, and the crowd was the usual mix of punks,
hardcore-types, metalheads, and people who looked strangely
yuppieish. The show started around 7:30pm and ran smoothly until
about midnight. The band changes were very quick (around five minutes
each) due to equipment sharing, and the sets were also short (around
half an hour each). During Deuterenema's set, the crowd was at its
peak with around 100 people in attendance, but that number had
dwindled to about 30 by the time the show was over.
Nothing Lasts Forever started things off with an energetic
performance. They played a short set of hardcore-influenced metal.
Although the crowd was composed of only 60 people, the band
frequently made forays out into the crowd in an attempt to get them
to do more than stand around. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Still,
it was a good performance.
Funnel was up next, and I knew this would be a bad set when they
started with Metallica's "Seek and Destroy". Next up was KISS's "God
of Thunder" (with a drum solo during which the drummer lost his
stick), followed by two late 80s cliche-filled originals and closing
with Iron Maiden's "The Trooper". Their performance was decent,
though not impressive by any standards, and the singer's voice was
not appropriate for any of the cover songs. He offered neither range
nor aggression. Their mid-tempo songs did little to excite the crowd.
Deuterenema followed, and although their dyed-green hair and
falling-down pants indicated hardcore, these guys were actually
pretty metallic. They covered Slayer's "Seasons in the Abyss" and
played four or five originals. Unfortunately, their (apparently new)
singer had a tough time as he not only needed to bring lyric sheets
up with him (not that we could make out any of the lyrics), but also
his non-grunted vocal parts were inaudible. Either he hasn't learned
to keep his voice at a consistent level when changing styles or there
was a problem with his mic. Either way, the absence of vocals where
there should have been some was distracting. Other than that, it was
a good set, though not particularly memorable.
The best set of the evening was turned in by Inner Shadows,
a.k.a. Ryan McCracken. Ryan went up on stage backed by only his drum
machine. He played five songs: four originals and Fear Factory's
"Martyr", which invoked the first real moshpit of the evening. The
originals were very impressive (despite a few screw-ups), quite
technical, and moderately complex death metal with some originality.
In addition, the sound was mixed at a pleasant listening level. Since
I didn't have high expectations, I was pleasantly surprised and quite
impressed. I hope Ryan can find a backing band and continue to make
progress.
The Urination played next. They set up with their drummer's back
to the audience and the guitarist and bassist facing him (and us).
These guys are very similar to A.C. (with songs titled "Song #1",
"Song #2", etc.) and, thankfully, played only six songs. Hence, their
set lasted only six minutes, which included the banter between songs.
Luckily, that was just about the right length of time; any longer and
the joke would have gotten old.
The most accomplished band there, Bloodshed, ended the show.
They brought out their own drumset and amps, so there was a
significant delay between their set and the previous one. These guys
played moderately technical, but uneventful, death metal with
original songs such as "Masticated Body Parts" and "Shed Blood". The
drumming was good, but he would only occasionally do something that
would catch my attention. I can't say too much bad about them, since
they seemed to be competent, but I thought something was missing from
their performance. Perhaps the audience was too tired to really get
into the music. While there was a decent moshpit at the beginning of
their set, by the middle, people had left along with most of the
enthusiasm. In any case, they played a relatively short (eight song?)
set, and the show was over.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening with some surprises and
a good deal of variety. With any luck, the Big Red Deathfest will
become a fall tradition as I think this one was a definite success.
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P O R T U G U E S E P O T E N T I A L , P A R T 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obscenus, Vertebra and Nympha
University of Porto (Engineering), Portugal, September 27, 1997
by: Pedro Azevedo
Watching a good underground metal concert (or any metal concert
for that matter) at the very same University you attend every day is
something that just doesn't happen too often. In fact, it never
happened to me before. Yet life is full of surprises, and a few of
them are actually good ones -- so, after a two hour delay, three
young and promising unsigned Portuguese bands took over the
improvised stage.
The first band, Nympha (whose rehearsal tape I reviewed in CoC
#20), deserved better luck. The sound problems that caused the
keyboards and vocals to sometimes disappear really weren't their
fault, but even that failed to ruin their performance. The small
audience realized that and reacted accordingly at the end of each
song. Nympha singer Liliana Barros was the last member of the band to
enter the stage; she used a torch to light some other torches
scattered around the stage while dancing to a keyboard intro. Later,
she also played with some flowers that were laying around the stage
(she had flowers drawn up her neck and arms as well), which ended up
causing a rather funny scene I'll mention later. Initially, she got
all of the spotlight since she also bears a curious resemblance to
Anneke Van Giersbergen of The Gathering, a resemblance that goes
beyond the vocals -- her hair color is similar, and they definitely
have something in common about the way they move, dance, and sing
with a peculiar smile. But enough of that. The fact is that she's a
really good singer, and her live performance didn't disappoint me at
all. The drumming was remarkable as well, with very frequent breaks
and double-bass -- and dynamic, skilled drummers are something I find
highly valuable to any band, especially a slow doom band (not that
Nympha can really be rated as slow, but they're still slower than the
average non-doom band). The rest of the band did their job very well
too, and I felt their set was too short. I really like this band and
believe they may have a good future ahead.
The next band was Vertebra. I had never listened to them before;
all I knew was that they're a death metal band. I was surprised to
see the great show they put on -- very tight and powerful playing,
good rhythmic work, very deep vocals, and outstanding drumming.
Clearly a more seasoned band than the others, they were very
confident and everything seemed to come out really well. At one time,
the vocalist jumped behind the drums and teamed up with the drummer
-- while some bands seem to have four-armed drummers, this was
literally four-armed drumming... The funny scene I mentioned before,
about the flowers, happened in the end of one song: the drummer got
up, picked up a flower left behind by Nympha, and daintily threw it
at the vocalist (remember he's a grunter), causing major laughs in
the audience. As their set ended, I was again left wanting more.
Finally, Obscenus. They are a (read this carefully) eight-piece
(!) band: vocals, two guitars, bass, drums, keyboard, violin and
backing female vocals, although these last two only show up
occasionally. They had trouble putting it all together, as the
violinist and female vocalist missed their first appearances, but
they eventually managed to create quite a varied and interesting
sound which ranged from death to black metal to some slower spoken
passages. Again, the drummer was very good (all three of them were
very good, in fact), and this band really seems to know exactly what
they want and how to get it -- I most certainly don't doubt that
they'll get signed very soon (they probably already have been by the
time you're reading this). Towards the end of their set, everything
was in place, including the violins and femme vox, and it all was
very enjoyable and varied. Considering the relatively short sets
played by Nympha and Vertebra, I expected Obscenus to play for a long
while; however, while they did play longer than the other bands, it
still was a bit short. No matter what, this turned out to be quite a
memorable night for me.
P O R T U G U E S E P O T E N T I A L , P A R T 2
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Morbid Death, Nocturnal Symphony, In Velvet Clouds and 2 Kill
Assembleia de Campanha, Porto, Portugal, October 4, 1997
by: Pedro Azevedo
Precisely one week after the Obscenus / Vertebra / Nympha
concert, I found another promising concert nearby. But just when you
think good things are going your way, reality tends to strike. And,
in fact, that's precisely what happened here -- compared to the
previous concert, this one was a major disappointment. Just to start
things off perfectly, I spent an hour and a half waiting for the show
to start.
The show did eventually start with a band called 2 Kill, who
clearly must have walked through the wrong door on their way, because
they definitely landed in the wrong show. Playing some sort of
hardcore / hip-hop thing and mixing in a plethora of influences from
several well-known American bands, their originality was below zero,
and even though I can't say they couldn't play their instruments,
they added almost nothing to that major lack of originality. The
result was that no one in the audience really moved, most people
actually remained seated on the ground, and very few bothered to even
nod their heads to the music.
After a long wait and such a bland start, I was looking forward
to something more aggressive, such as In Velvet Clouds, whom I had
seen live once before (see CoC #21). Featuring two vocalists (one for
grunting and one for screaming), the vocals needed to sound good in
the overall mix; however, as opposed to the previous In Velvet Clouds
concert, the vox just didn't come out as impressively. Besides that,
things went reasonably well for In Velvet Clouds, but they never
quite reached the performance level I expected this time. The set was
also a bit short, but their best tracks still managed to get the
audience moving.
The next band, Nocturnal Symphony, were unknown to me, even
though they're a local band. In the end, they turned out to be a very
pleasant surprise and, in my opinion, the best band of the day.
Setting their sound upon some clear Theatre of Tragedy influences,
Nocturnal Symphony still manages to have a sound of their own. The
most obvious similarity to ToT is their usage of both a grunter and a
female vocalist, sometimes simultaneously. Even though Raymond and
Liv Kristine from ToT are something else, these two still did quite a
good job despite the fact that the female singer had a more secondary
role than Liv has in ToT as she mostly sang choirs. Her voice is
good, but unfortunately her performance wasn't too varied -- yet
still nice to hear and watch. The biggest difference between the two
bands is the (perhaps surprising) fact that Nocturnal Symphony don't
use any keyboards, causing them to sound more like a death band.
Overall, they showed some good ideas and played a very entertaining
and enjoyable set.
The headliners, Morbid Death, who traveled a long way to be
here, ended up playing for 30 or 40 people. The reason is simple:
almost everyone went away before or during their performance. Not
that they're bad; in fact they're a more experienced band than the
others (they already have a CD out) and did a good job, but all the
waiting and the fact that the two local bands (In Velvet Clouds and
Nocturnal Symphony) had already played caused the room to be almost
empty by then. Adding to all this, Morbid Death are a rather
conventional metal band, and they suffered from being the
"headliners" in a concert where most people went to see other bands.
In the end, I must say this should be regarded as an example of what
can happen when a concert is inexplicably delayed.
Wrapping it all up, Nympha, Vertebra, and Obscenus show a lot of
potential, while Nocturnal Symphony and In Velvet Clouds might also
have a good future ahead. As for Morbid Death, they seem to be doing
quite well in what concerns selling their CD, but that's about it. 2
Kill, however, should try to find a friendlier environment in the
future.
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W H A T W E H A V E C R A N K E D ! ! !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gino's Top 5
1. Mundane - _Feeding On A Lower Spine_
2. Life of Agony - _River Runs Red_
3. Monster Voodoo Machine - _State Voodoo/State Control_
4. Pitchshifter - _Infotainment?_
5. Mortiis - _Crypt Of The Wizard_
Adrian's Top 5
1. Overkill - _From The Underground And Below_
2. Overkill - _Horrorscope_
3. Pathos - _Hoverface_
4. Edge Of Sanity - _Cryptic_
5. Blackstar - _Barbed Wire Soul_
Brian's Top 5
1. Frederik Thordendal's Special Defects - _Sol Niger Within_
2. Emperor - _Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk_
3. Beauty - _Automatic Killfest_
4. Aurora Borealis - _Mansions of Eternity_
5. Hexenhaus - _Dejavoodoo_
Alain's Top 5
1. Deicide - _Serpents of the Light_
2. Brutal Truth - _Sounds of the Animal Kingdom_
3. Dimmu Borgir - _Enthrone Darkness Triumphant_
4. Judas Priest - _Jugulator_
5. Morgion - _Among Majestic Ruin_
Steve's Top 5
1. Ulver - _Bergtatt: Et Eeventyr i 5 Capitler_
2. Samhain - _November-Coming-Fire_
3. Sodom - _Persecution Mania / Expurse of Sodomy_
4. Misfits - _Earth AD / Wolf's Blood_
5. Anorexia Nervosa - _Exile_
Adam's Top 5
1. Thy Grief - _The Frozen Tomb of Mankind_
2. Napalm Death - _The Peel Sessions_ (TRUE grind!)
3. In Battle - _In Battle_
4. Unlord - _Schwarswald_
5. Raism - _The Very Best of Pain_
Drew's Top 5
1. Ulver - _The Madrigal of the Night_
2. Rush - _Hemispheres_
3. Obtained Enslavement - _Witchcraft_
4. The Gathering - _Nighttime Birds_
5. Edge of Sanity - _Purgatory Afterglow_
Andrew's Top 5
1. Mayhem - _Wolf's Lair Abyss_
2. Scar Tissue - _TMOTD_
3. In Slaughter Natives - _Enter Now the World_
4. Thy Grief - _The Frozen Tomb of Mankind_
5. Kluster - _Zwei-Osterei_
Pedro's Top 5
1. Hypocrisy - _The Final Chapter_
2. Misanthrope - _Visionnaire_
3. Dismember - _Death Metal_
4. In the Woods... - _Omnio_
5. Opeth - _Orchid_
Paul's Top 5
1. Cryptopsy - _None So Vile_
2. Pyrexia - _System Of The Animal_
3. Old Man's Child - _The Pagan Prosperity_
4. Niden Div.187 - _Impergium_
5. Infernal Torment - _Birthrate Zero_
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Homepage: http://www.interlog.com/~ginof/coc.html
FTP Archive: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/ChroniclesOfChaos
--> Interested in being reviewed? Send us your demo and bio to:
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
CHRONICLES OF CHAOS
57 Lexfield Ave
Downsview Ont.
M3M-1M6, Canada
Fax: (416) 693-5240 Voice: (416) 693-9517
e-mail: ginof@interlog.com
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DESCRIPTION
~~~~~~~~~~~
Chronicles of Chaos is a monthly magazine electronically distributed
worldwide via the Internet. Chronicles of Chaos focuses on all forms
of chaotic music including black, death and doom metal, dark/ambient,
industrial and electronic/noise as well as classic and progressive
metal. Each issue will feature a plethora of album reviews from a
wide range of bands, as well as interviews with some of the
underground's best acts. Also included in each issue are demo reviews
and indie band interviews.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You may subscribe to Chronicles of Chaos at any time by sending a
message with "coc subscribe <your_name_here>" in the SUBJECT of your
message to <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. Please note that this command
must NOT be sent to the list address <coc-ezine@lists.colorado.edu>.
AUTOMATIC FILESERVER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All back issues and various other CoC related files are available for
automatic retrieval through our e-mail fileserver. All you have to do
is send a message to us at <mailto:ginof@interlog.com>. The
'Subject:' field of your message must read: "send file X" where 'X'
is the name of the requested file (do not include the quotes). Back
issues are named 'coc-n', where 'n' is the issue number. For a
description of all files available through this fileserver, request
'list'. Remember to use lowercase letters for all file names.
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End Chronicles of Chaos, Issue #26
All contents copyright 1997 by individual creators of included work.
All opinions expressed herein are those of the individuals expressing
them, and do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone else.
